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University  of  California  •  Berkeley 

From  the  Collection  of 
Joseph  Z.  Todd 

Gift  of 
Hatherly  B.  Todd 


$  THE  NOVELS  AND 
TALES  OF  ROBERT 
LOUIS    STEVENSON 


NEW  ARABIAN 
NIGHTS  *  *  * 


^PUBLISHED  IN 
NEW  YORK  BY 
CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S 
SONS     1      *      1907      * 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2008  with  funding  from 

Microsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/arabiannightsnewOOstevrich 


TO 

ROBERT  ALAN   MOWBRAY  STEVENSON 

IN   GRATEFUL   REMEMBRANCE  OF  THEIR   YOUTH 
AND  THEIR   ALREADY   OLD   AFFECTION 


NOTE 

I  must  prefix  a  word  of  thanks  to  the  gentleman  who  condescended  to 
borrow  the  gist  of  one  of  my  stories,  and  even  to  honour  it  with  the 
addition  of  his  signature.  This  mark  of  appreciation  emboldened 
me  to  make  the  present  collection. 

R.  L.  S. 


CONTENTS 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

PAGE 

Story  of  the  Young  Man  with  the  Cream  Tarts  ...  3 
Story  of  the  Physician  and  the  Saratoga  Trunk  ...  42 
The  Adventure  of  the  Hansom  Cab 76 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

Story  of  the  Bandbox 105 

Story  of  the  Young  Man  in  Holy  Orders 137 

Story  of  the  House  with  the  Green  Blinds      ....  157 

Adventure  of  Prince  Florizel  and  the  Detective  .     .     .  196 


THE  PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

CHAPTER 

I  Tells  How  I  Camped  in  Graden  Sea-wood,  and  beheld 

a  Light  in  the  Pavilion 207 

II  Tells  of  the  Nocturnal  Landing  from  the  Yacht  .     .     216 

III  Tells  how  I  became  acquainted  with  my  Wife   .     .     .     224 

IV  Tells  in  what  a  startling  manner  I  learned  that  I  was 

NOT    ALONE   IN    GRADEN    SEA-WOOD 235 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

V    Tells  of  an  Interview  between  Northmour,  Clara,  and 

Myself 245 

VI     Tells  of  my  Introduction  to  the  Tall  Man  ....  252 
VII    Tells  how  a  Word  was  Cried  through  the  Pavilion 

Window 260 

VIII    Tells  the  Last  of  the  Tall  Man 268 

IX    Tells  how  Northmour  carried  out  his  Threat  .     .     .  277 

A   LODGING   FOR  THE  NIGHT 287 

THE  SIRE   DE  MALETROIT'S  DOOR 317 

PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR 347 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 


STORY  OF  THE  YOUNG  MAN  WITH  THE  CREAM  TARTS 

DURING  his  residence  in  London,  the  accomplished 
Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia  gained  the  affection  of 
all  classes  by  the  seduction  of  his  manner  and  by  a 
well-considered  generosity.  He  was  a  remarkable  man 
even  by  what  was  known  of  him ;  and  that  was  but  a 
small  part  of  what  he  actually  did.  Although  of  a  placid 
temper  in  ordinary  circumstances,  and  accustomed  to 
take  the  world  with  as  much  philosophy  as  any  plough- 
man, the  Prince  of  Bohemia  was  not  without  a  taste 
for  ways  of  life  more  adventurous  and  eccentric  than 
that  to  which  he  was  destined  by  his  birth.  Now  and 
then,  when  he  fell  into  a  low  humour,  when  there  was 
no  laughable  play  to  witness  in  any  of  the  London  the- 
atres, and  when  the  season  of  the  year  was  unsuitable 
to  those  field  sports  in  which  he  excelled  all  competi- 
tors, he  would  summon  his  confidant  and  Master  of  the 
Horse,  Colonel  Geraldine,  and  bid  him  prepare  himself 
against  an  evening  ramble.  The  Master  of  the  Horse 
was  a  young  officer  of  a  brave  and  even  temerarious 

3 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

disposition.  He  greeted  the  news  with  delight,  and 
hastened  to  make  ready.  Long  practice  and  a  varied 
acquaintance  of  life  had  given  him  a  singular  facility  in 
disguise;  he  could  adapt  not  only  his  face  and  bearing, 
but  his  voice  and  almost  his  thoughts,  to  those  of  any 
rank,  character,  or  nation ;  and  in  this  way  he  diverted 
attention  from  the  Prince,  and  sometimes  gained  ad- 
mission for  the  pair  into  strange  societies.  The  civil 
authorities  were  never  taken  into  the  secret  of  these  ad- 
ventures; the  imperturbable  courage  of  the  one  and  the 
ready  invention  and  chivalrous  devotion  of  the  other 
had  brought  them  through  a  score  of  dangerous  passes ; 
and  they  grew  in  confidence  as  time  went  on. 

One  evening  in  March  they  were  driven  by  a  sharp 
fall  of  sleet  into  an  Oyster  Bar  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
bourhood of  Leicester  Square.  Colonel  Geraldine  was 
dressed  and  painted  to  represent  a  person  connected 
with  the  Press  in  reduced  circumstances;  while  the 
Prince  had,  as  usual,  travestied  his  appearance  by  the 
addition  of  false  whiskers  and  a  pair  of  large  adhesive 
eyebrows.  These  lent  him  a  shaggy  and  weather- 
beaten  air,  which,  for  one  of  his  urbanity,  formed  the 
most  impenetrable  disguise.  Thus  equipped,  the  com- 
mander and  his  satellite  sipped  their  brandy  and  soda  in 
security. 

The  bar  was  full  of  guests,  both  male  and  female ;  but 
though  more  than  one  of  these  offered  to  fall  into  talk 
with  our  adventurers,  none  of  them  promised  to  grow 
interesting  upon  a  nearer  acquaintance.  There  was  no- 
thing present  but  the  lees  of  London  and  the  common- 
place of  disrespectability ;  and  the  Prince  had  already 
fallen  to  yawning,  and  was  beginning  to  grow  weary 

4 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB 

of  the  whole  excursion,  when  the  swing  doors  were 
pushed  violently  open,  and  a  young  man,  followed  by 
a  couple  of  commissionaires,  entered  the  bar.  Each 
of  the  commissionaires  carried  a  large  dish  of  cream 
tarts  under  a  cover,  which  they  at  once  removed ;  and 
the  young  man  made  the  round  of  the  company,  and 
pressed  these  confections  upon  everyone's  acceptance 
with  an  exaggerated  courtesy.  Sometimes  his  offer 
was  laughingly  accepted;  sometimes  it  was  firmly,  or 
even  harshly,  rejected.  In  these  latter  cases  the  new- 
comer always  ate  the  tart  himself,  with  some  more  or 
less  humourous  commentary. 

At  last  he  accosted  Prince  Florizel. 

"Sir,"  said  he,  with  a  profound  obeisance,  proffering 
the  tart  at  the  same  time  between  his  thumb  and  fore- 
finger, "will  you  so  far  honour  an  entire  stranger  ?  I  can 
answer  for  the  quality  of  the  pastry,  having  eaten  two 
dozen  and  three  of  them  myself  since  five  o'clock." 

"I  am  in  the  habit,"  replied  the  Prince,  "of  looking 
not  so  much  to  the  nature  of  a  gift  as  to  the  spirit  in 
which  it  is  offered." 

"The  spirit,  sir,"  returned  the  young  man,  with  an- 
other bow,  "is  one  of  mockery." 

"  Mockery  ?  "  repeated  Florizel.  "  And  whom  do  you 
propose  to  mock  ?  " 

"I  am  not  here  to  expound  my  philosophy,"  replied 
the  other,  "but  to  distribute  these  cream  tarts.  If  I 
mention  that  I  heartily  include  myself  in  the  ridicule  of 
the  transaction,  I  hope  you  will  consider  honour  satisfied 
and  condescend.  If  not,  you  will  constrain  me  to  eat 
my  twenty-eighth,  and  I  own  to  being  weary  of  the  ex- 
ercise." 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

"You  touch  me,"  said  the  Prince,  "and  I  have  all 
the  will  in  the  world  to  rescue  you  from  this  dilemma, 
but  upon  one  condition.  If  my  friend  and  I  eat  your 
cakes  —  for  which  we  have  neither  of  us  any  natural  in- 
clination—  we  shall  expect  you  to  join  us  at  supper,  by 
way  of  recompense." 

The  young  man  seemed  to  reflect. 

"I  have  still  several  dozen  upon  hand,"  he  said  at 
last;  "and  that  will  make  it  necessary  for  me  to  visit 
several  more  bars  before  my  great  affair  is  concluded. 
This  will  take  some  time;  and  if  you  are  hungry " 

The  Prince  interrupted  him  with  a  polite  gesture. 

"My  friend  and  I  will  accompany  you,"  he  said: 
"for  we  have  already  a  deep  interest  in  your  very 
agreeable  mode  of  passing  an  evening.  And  now  that 
the  preliminaries  of  peace  are  settled,  allow  me  to  sign 
the  treaty  for  both." 

And  the  Prince  swallowed  the  tart  with  the  best 
grace  imaginable. 

"It  is  delicious,"  said  he. 

"  I  perceive  you  are  a  connoisseur,"  replied  the 
young  man. 

Colonel  Geraldine  likewise  did  honour  to  the  pastry; 
and  every  one  in  that  bar  having  now  either  accepted 
or  refused  his  delicacies,  the  young  man  with  the 
cream  tarts  led  the  way  to  another  and  similar  estab- 
lishment. The  two  commissionaires,  who  seemed  to 
have  grown  accustomed  to  their  absurd  employment, 
followed  immediately  after;  and  the  Prince  and  the 
Colonel  brought  up  the  rear,  arm  in  arm,  and  smiling 
to  each  other  as  they  went.  In  this  order  the  company 
visited  two  other  taverns,  where  scenes  were  enacted 

6 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

of  a  like  nature  to  that  already  described  —  some  refus- 
ing, some  accepting,  the  favours  of  this  vagabond  hospi- 
tality, and  the  young  man  himself  eating  each  rejected 
tart. 

On  leaving  the  third  saloon  the  young  man  counted 
his  store.  There  were  but  nine  remaining,  three  in  one 
tray  and  six  in  the  other. 

11  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  addressing  himself  to  his  two 
new  followers,  "  I  am  unwilling  to  delay  your  supper. 
I  am  positively  sure  you  must  be  hungry.  I  feel  that 
I  owe  you  a  special  consideration.  And  on  this  great 
day  for  me,  when  I  am  closing  a  career  of  folly  by  my 
most  conspicuously  silly  action,  I  wish  to  behave  hand- 
somely to  all  who  give  me  countenance.  Gentlemen, 
you  shall  wait  no  longer.  Although  my  constitution  is 
shattered  by  previous  excesses,  at  the  risk  of  my  life  I 
liquidate  the  suspensory  condition." 

With  these  words  he  crushed  the  nine  remaining  tarts 
into  his  mouth,  and  swallowed  them  at  a  single  move- 
ment each.  Then,  turning  to  the  commissionaires,  he 
gave  them  a  couple  of  sovereigns. 

•  I  have  to  thank  you,"  said  he,  "for  your  extraor- 
dinary patience." 

And  he  dismissed  them  with  a  bow  apiece.  For  some 
seconds  he  stood  looking  at  the  purse  from  which  he 
had  just  paid  his  assistants,  then,  with  a  laugh,  he  tossed 
it  into  the  middle  of  the  street,  and  signified  his  readi- 
ness for  supper. 

In  a  small  French  restaurant  in  Soho,  which  had  en- 
joyed an  exaggerated  reputation  for  some  little  while, 
but  had  already  begun  to  be  forgotten,  and  in  a  private 
room  up  two  pair  of  stairs,  the  three  companions  made 

7 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

a  very  elegant  supper,  and  drank  three  or  four  bottles 
of  champagne,  talking  the  while  upon  indifferent  sub- 
jects. The  young  man  was  fluent  and  gay,  but  he 
laughed  louder  than  was  natural  in  a  person  of  polite 
breeding;  his  hands  trembled  violently,  and  his  voice 
took  sudden  and  surprising  inflections,  which  seemed 
to  be  independent  of  his  will.  The  dessert  had  been 
cleared  away,  and  all  three  had  lighted  their  cigars, 
when  the  Prince  addressed  him  in  these  words : 

"You  will,  I  am  sure,  pardon  my  curiosity.  What  I 
have  seen  of  you  has  greatly  pleased  but  even  more 
puzzled  me.  And  though  I  should  be  loath  to  seem  in- 
discreet, I  must  tell  you  that  my  friend  and  I  are  persons 
very  well  worthy  to  be  entrusted  with  a  secret.  We 
have  many  of  our  own,  which  we  are  continually  re- 
vealing to  improper  ears.  And  if,  as  I  suppose,  your 
story  is  a  silly  one,  you  need  have  no  delicacy  with  us, 
who  are  two  of  the  silliest  men  in  England.  My  name 
is  Godall,  Theophilus  Godall ;  my  friend  is  Major  Alfred 
Hammersmith  —  or  at  least,  such  is  the  name  by  which 
he  chooses  to  be  known.  We  pass  our  lives  entirely 
in  the  search  for  extravagant  adventures;  and  there  is 
no  extravagance  with  which  we  are  not  capable  of  sym- 
pathy." 

"  I  like  you,  Mr.  Godall,"  returned  the  young  man; 
"you  inspire  me  with  a  natural  confidence;  and  I  have 
not  the  slightest  objection  to  your  friend,  the  Major; 
whom  I  take  to  be  a  nobleman  in  masquerade.  At  least, 
I  am  sure  he  is  no  soldier." 

The  Colonel  smiled  at  this  compliment  to  the  perfec- 
tion of  his  art;  and  the  young  man  went  on  in  a  more 
animated  manner. 

8 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

"  There  is  every  reason  why  I  should  not  tell  you  my 
story.  Perhaps  that  !3  just  the  reason  why  I  am  going 
to  do  so.  At  least,  you  seem  so  well  prepared  to  hear 
a  tale  of  silliness  that  I  cannot  find  it  in  my  heart  to  dis- 
appoint you.  My  name,  in  spite  of  your  example,  I  shall 
keep  to  myself.  My  age  is  not  essential  to  the  narrative. 
I  am  descended  from  my  ancestors  by  ordinary  genera- 
tion, and  from  them  I  inherited  the  very  eligible  human 
tenement  which  I  still  occupy  and  a  fortune  of  three  hun- 
dred pounds  a  year.  I  suppose  they  also  handed  on  to 
me  a  hare-brain  humour,  which  it  has  been  my  chief  de- 
light to  indulge.  I  received  a  good  education.  I  can 
play  the  violin  nearly  well  enough  to  earn  money  in  the 
orchestra  of  a  penny  gafT,  but  not  quite.  The  same  re- 
mark applies  to  the  flute  and  the  French  horn.  I  learned 
enough  of  whist  to  lose  about  a  hundred  a  year  at  that 
scientific  game.  My  acquaintance  with  French  was  suf- 
ficient to  enable  me  to  squander  money  in  Paris  with 
almost  the  same  facility  as  in  London.  In  short,  I  am  a 
person  full  of  manly  accomplishments.  I  have  had  every 
sort  of  adventure,  including  a  duel  about  nothing.  Only 
two  months  ago  I  met  a  young  lady  exactly  suited  to  my 
taste  in  mind  and  body ;  I  found  my  heart  melt ;  I  saw 
that  I  had  come  upon  my  fate  at  last,  and  was  in  the 
way  to  fall  in  love.  But  when  I  came  to  reckon  up 
what  remained  to  me  of  my  capital,  I  found  it  amounted 
to  something  less  than  four  hundred  pounds!  I  ask  you 
fairly  —  can  a  man  who  respects  himself  fall  in  love  on 
four  hundred  pounds  ?  I  concluded,  certainly  not ;  left 
the  presence  of  my  charmer,  and  slightly  accelerating  my 
usual  rate  of  expenditure,  came  this  morning  to  my  last 
eighty  pounds.     This  I  divided  into  two  equal  parts; 

9 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

forty  I  reserved  for  a  particular  purpose ;  the  remaining 
forty  I  was  to  dissipate  before  the  night.  I  have  passed 
a  very  entertaining  day ;  and  played  many  farces  besides 
that  of  the  cream  tarts  which  procured  me  the  advantage 
of  your  acquaintance ;  for  I  was  determined,  as  I  told 
you,  to  bring  a  foolish  career  to  a  still  more  foolish  con- 
clusion; and  when  you  saw  me  throw  my  purse  into 
the  street,  the  forty  pounds  were  at  an  end.  Now  you 
know  me  as  well  as  I  know  myself:  a  fool  but  consis- 
tent in  his  folly ;  and,  as  I  will  ask  you  to  believe,  neither 
a  whimperer  nor  a  coward." 

From  the  whole  tone  of  the  young  man's  statement 
it  was  plain  that  he  harboured  very  bitter  and  contemp- 
tuous thoughts  about  himself.  His  auditors  were  led  to 
imagine  that  his  love  affair  was  nearer  his  heart  than  he 
admitted,  and  that  he  had  a  design  on  his  own  life.  The 
farce  of  the  cream  tarts  began  to  have  very  much  the  air 
of  a  tragedy  in  disguise. 

"Why,  is  this  not  odd,"  broke  out  Geraldine,  giving 
a  look  to  Prince  Florizel,  "that  we  three  fellows  should 
have  met  by  the  merest  accident  in  so  large  a  wilder- 
ness as  London,  and  should  be  so  nearly  in  the  same 
condition  ?" 

"How?"  cried  the  young  man.  "Are  you,  too, 
ruined  ?  Is  this  supper  a  folly  like  my  cream  tarts  ? 
Has  the  devil  brought  three  of  his  own  together  for  a 
last  carouse  ?  " 

"The  devil,  depend  upon  it,  can  sometimes  do  a 
very  gentlemanly  thing,"  returned  Prince  Florizel; 
"  and  I  am  so  much  touched  by  this  coincidence, 
that,  although  we  are  not  entirely  in  the  same  case, 
I  am  going  to  put  an  end  to  the  disparity.     Let  your 


THE   SUICIDE  CLUB 

heroic  treatment  of  the  last  cream  tarts  be  my  ex- 
ample." 

So  saying,  the  Prince  drew  out  his  purse  and  took 
from  it  a  small  bundle  of  bank-notes. 

' '  You  see,  I  was  a  week  or  so  behind  you,  but  I 
mean  to  catch  you  up  and  come  neck  and  neck  into 
the  winning-post,"  he  continued.  " This,"  laying  one 
of  the  notes  upon  the  table,  "will  suffice  for  the  bill. 
As  for  the  rest — " 

He  tossed  them  into  the  fire,  and  they  went  up  the 
chimney  in  a  single  blaze. 

The  young  man  tried  to  catch  his  arm,  but  as  the 
table  was  between  them  his  interference  came  too  late. 

"Unhappy  man,"  he  cried,  "you  should  not  have 
burned  them  all !  You  should  have  kept  forty 
pounds." 

"Forty  pounds!"  repeated  the  Prince.  "Why,  in 
heaven's  name,  forty  pounds?" 

"  Why  not  eighty  ? "  cried  the  Colonel;  "  for  to  my 
certain  knowledge  there  must  have  been  a  hundred  in 
the  bundle." 

"It  was  only  forty  pounds  he  needed,"  said  the 
young  man  gloomily.  "  But  without  them  there  is  no 
admission.  The  rule  is  strict.  Forty  pounds  for  each. 
Accursed  life,  where  a  man  cannot  even  die  without 
money!" 

The  Prince  and  the  Colonel  exchanged  glances. 

"Explain  yourself,"  said  the  latter.  "I  have  still  a 
pocket-book  tolerably  well  lined,  and  I  need  not  say 
how  readily  I  would  share  my  wealth  with  Godall.  But 
I  must  know  to  what  end:  you  must  certainly  tell  us 
what  you  mean." 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

The  young  man  seemed  to  awaken;  he  looked  un- 
easily from  one  to  the  other,  and  his  face  flushed  deeply. 

"You  are  not  fooling  me?"  he  asked.  "You  are 
indeed  ruined  men  like  me  ?  " 

M  Indeed,  I  am  for  my  part,"  replied  the  Colonel. 

"And  for  mine,"  said  the  Prince,  M  I  have  given  you 
proof.  Who  but  a  ruined  man  would  throw  his  notes 
into  the  fire  ?    The  action  speaks  for  itself." 

"A  ruined  man — yes,"  returned  the  other  suspi- 
ciously, "  or  else  a  millionaire." 

"  Enough,  sir,"  said  the  Prince;  "  I  have  said  so,  and 
I  am  not  accustomed  to  have  my  word  remain  in  doubt." 

"  Ruined  ?  "  said  the  young  man.  "  Are  you  ruined, 
like  me  ?  Are  you,  after  a  life  of  indulgence,  come  to 
such  a  pass  that  you  can  only  indulge  yourself  in  one 
thing  more?  Are  you" — he  kept  lowering  his  voice 
as  he  went  on —  "  are  you  going  to  give  yourselves  that 
last  indulgence  ?  Are  you  going  to  avoid  the  conse- 
quences of  your  folly  by  the  one  infallible  and  easy  path  ? 
Are  you  going  to  give  the  slip  to  the  sheriffs  officers  of 
conscience  by  the  one  open  door  ?  " 

Suddenlv  he  broke  off  and  attempted  to  laugh. 

"  Here  is  your  health!  "  he  cried,  emptying  his  glass, 
"  and  good  night  to  you,  my  merry  ruined  men." 

Colonel  Geraldine  caught  him  by  the  arm  as  he  was 
about  to  rise. 

"You  lack  confidence  in  us,"  he  said,  "  and  you  are 
wrong.  To  all  your  questions  I  make  answer  in  the 
affirmative.  But  I  am  not  so  timid,  and  can  speak  the 
Queen's  English  plainly.  We  too,  like  yourself,  have 
had  enough  of  life,  and  are  determined  to  die.  Sooner 
or  later,  alone  or  together,  we  meant  to  seek  out  death 

12 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB 

and  beard  him  where  he  lies  ready.  Since  we  have  met 
you,  and  your  case  is  more  pressing,  let  it  be  to-night 
—  and  at  once  —  and,  if  you  will,  all  three  together. 
Such  a  penniless  trio,"  he  cried,  "  should  go  arm  in  arm 
into  the  halls  of  Pluto,  and  give  each  other  some  coun- 
tenance among  the  shades! " 

Geraldine  had  hit  exactly  on  the  manners  and  intona- 
tions that  became  the  part  he  was  playing.  The  Prince 
himself  was  disturbed,  and  looked  over  at  his  confidant 
with  a  shade  of  doubt.  As  for  the  young  man,  the  flush 
came  back  darkly  into  his  cheek,  and  his  eyes  threw  out 
a  spark  of  light. 

"You  are  the  men  for  me!"  he  cried,  with  an  almost 
terrible  gayety.  "  Shake  hands  upon  the  bargain !  "  (his 
hand  was  cold  and  wet.)  "You  little  know  in  what  a 
company  you  will  begin  the  march !  You  little  know  in 
what  a  happy  moment  for  yourselves  you  partook  of  my 
cream  tarts !  I  am  only  a  unit,  but  I  am  a  unit  in  an 
army.  I  know  Death's  private  door.  I  am  one  of  his 
familiars,  and  can  show  you  into  eternity  without  cere- 
mony and  yet  without  scandal." 

They  called  upon  him  eagerly  to  explain  his  meaning. 

"Can  you  muster  eighty  pounds  between  you ?"  he 
demanded. 

Geraldine  ostentatiously  consulted  his  pocket-book, 
and  replied  in  the  affirmative. 

"  Fortunate  beings!  "  cried  the  young  man.  "  Forty 
pounds  is  the  entry  money  of  the  Suicide  Club." 

■ '  The  Suicide  Club, "  said  the  Prince,  ' '  why,  what  the 
devil  is  that  ?  " 

"Listen,"  said  the  young  man;  "this  is  the  age  of 
conveniences,  and  I  have  to  tell  you  of  the  last  perfec- 

>3 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

tion  of  the  sort.  We  have  affairs  in  different  places ;  and 
hence  railways  were  invented.  Railways  separated  us 
infallibly  from  our  friends ;  and  so  telegraphs  were  made 
that  we  might  communicate  speedily  at  great  distances. 
Even  in  hotels  we  have  lifts  to  spare  us  a  climb  of  some 
hundred  steps.  Now,  we  know  that  life  is  only  a  stage 
to  play  the  fool  upon  as  long  as  the  part  amuses  us. 
There  was  one  more  convenience  lacking  to  modern 
comfort;  a  decent,  easy  way  to  quit  that  stage;  the  back 
stairs  to  liberty ;  or,  as  I  said  this  moment,  Death's  pri- 
vate door.  This,  my  two  fellow-rebels,  is  supplied  by 
the  Suicide  Club.  Do  not  suppose  that  you  and  I  are 
alone,  or  even  exceptional,  in  the  highly  reasonable  de- 
sire that  we  profess.  A  large  number  of  our  fellow- 
men,  who  have  grown  heartily  sick  of  the  performance 
in  which  they  are  expected  to  join  daily  and  all  their 
lives  long,  are  only  kept  from  flight  by  one  or  two  con- 
siderations. Some  have  families  who  would  be  shocked, 
or  even  blamed,  if  the  matter  became  public;  others  have 
a  weakness  at  heart  and  recoil  from  the  circumstances  of 
death.  That  is,  to  some  extent,  my  own  experience.  I 
cannot  put  a  pistol  to  my  head  and  draw  the  trigger;  for 
something  stronger  than  myself  withholds  the  act;  and 
although  I  loathe  life,  I  have  not  strength  enough  in  my 
body  to  take  hold  of  death  and  be  done  with  it.  For 
such  as  I,  and  for  all  who  desire  to  be  out  of  the  coil 
without  posthumous  scandal,  the  Suicide  Club  has  been 
inaugurated.  How  this  has  been  managed,  what  is  its 
history,  or  what  may  be  its  ramifications  in  other  lands, 
I  am  myself  uninformed ;  and  what  I  know  of  its  con- 
stitution, I  am  not  at  liberty  to  communicate  to  you. 
To  this  extent,  however,  I  am  at  your  service.     If  you 

»4 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB 

are  truly  tired  of  life,  I  will  introduce  you  to-night  to  a 
meeting ;  and  if  not  to-night,  at  least  some  time  within 
the  week,  you  will  be  easily  relieved  of  your  existences. 
It  is"  now  (consulting  his  watch)  eleven ;  by  half-past, 
at  latest,  we  must  leave  this  place ;  so  that  you  have  half 
an  hour  before  you  to  consider  my  proposal.  It  is  more 
serious  than  a  cream  tart,"  he  added,  with  a  smile; 
"and  I  suspect  more  palatable." 

"More  serious,  certainly,"  returned  Colonel  Geral- 
dine;  "and  as  it  is  so  much  more  so,  will  you  allow 
me  five  minutes'  speech  in  private  with  my  friend,  Mr. 
Godall  ?  " 

"  It  is  only  fair,"  answered  the  young  man.  "  If  you 
will  permit,  I  will  retire." 

**  You  will  be  very  obliging,"  said  the  Colonel. 

As  soon  as  the  two  were  alone — "  What,"  said  Prince 
Florizel,  "is  the  use  of  this  confabulation,  Geraldine  ? 
I  see  you  are  flurried,  whereas  my  mind  is  very  tran- 
quilly made  up.     I  will  see  the  end  of  this." 

"  Your  Highness,"  said  the  Colonel  turning  pale;  "  let 
me  ask  you  to  consider  the  importance  of  your  life,  not 
only  to  your  friends,  but  to  the  public  interest.  '  If  not 
to-night,'  said  this  madman ;  but  supposing  that  to-night 
some  irreparable  disaster  were  to  overtake  your  High- 
ness's  person,  what,  let  me  ask  you,  what  would  be  my 
despair,  and  what  the  concern  and  disaster  of  a  great 
nation  ?  " 

"  I  will  see  the  end  of  this,"  repeated  the  Prince  in  his 
most  deliberate  tones;  "  and  have  the  kindness,  Colonel 
Geraldine,  to  remember  and  respect  your  word  of  honour 
as  a  gentleman.  Under  no  circumstances,  recollect, 
nor  without  my  special  authority,  are  you  to  betray  the 

15 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

incognito  under  which  I  choose  to  go  abroad.  These 
were  my  commands,  which  I  now  reiterate.  And  now," 
he  added,  "  let  me  ask  you  to  call  for  the  bill." 

Colonel  Geraldine  bowed  in  submission ;  but  he  had 
a  very  white  face  as  he  summoned  the  young  man  of 
the  cream  tarts,  and  issued  his  directions  to  the  waiter. 
The  Prince  preserved  his  undisturbed  demeanour,  and 
described  a  Palais  Royal  farce  to  the  young  suicide  with 
great  humour  and  gusto.  He  avoided  the  Colonel's  ap- 
pealing looks  without  ostentation,  and  selected  another 
cheroot  with  more  than  usual  care.  Indeed,  he  was 
now  the  only  man  of  the  party  who  kept  any  command 
over  his  nerves. 

The  bill  was  discharged,  the  Prince  giving  the  whole 
change  of  the  note  to  the  astonished  waiter;  and  the 
three  drove  off  in  a  four  wheeler.  They  were  not  long 
upon  the  way  before  the  cab  stopped  at  the  entrance  to 
a  rather  dark  court.     Here  all  descended. 

After  Geraldine  had  paid  the  fare,  the  young  man 
turned,  and  addressed  Prince  Florizel  as  follows: 

"It  is  still  time,  Mr.  Godall,  to  make  good  your  es- 
cape into  thralldom.  And  for  you  too,  Major  Hammer- 
smith. Reflect  well  before  you  take  another  step ;  and 
if  your  hearts  say  no  —  here  are  the  cross-roads." 

"  Lead  on,  sir,"  said  the  Prince.  M  I  am  not  the  man 
to  go  back  from  a  thing  once  said." 

"Your  coolness  does  me  good,"  replied  their  guide. 
"I  have  never  seen  anyone  so  unmoved  at  this  con- 
juncture; and  yet  you  are  not  the  first  whom  I  have 
escorted  to  this  door.  More  than  one  of  my  friends  has 
preceded  me,  where  I  knew  I  must  shortly  follow.  But 
this  is  of  no  interest  to  you.     Wait  me  here  for  only  a 

i6 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

few  moments ;  I  shall  return  as  soon  as  I  have  arranged 
the  preliminaries  of  your  introduction." 

And  with  that  the  young  man,  waving  his  hand  to 
his  companions,  turned  into  the  court,  entered  a  door- 
way and  disappeared. 

"Of  all  our  follies,"  said  Colonel  Geraldine  in  a  low 
voice,  "this  is  the  wildest  and  most  dangerous." 

"I  perfectly  believe  so,"  returned  the  Prince. 

"We  have  still,"  pursued  the  Colonel,  "a  moment 
to  ourselves.  Let  me  beseech  your  Highness  to  profit 
by  the  opportunity  and  retire.  The  consequences  of 
this  step  are  so  dark,  and  may  be  so  grave,  that  I  feel 
myself  justified  in  pushing  a  little  farther  than  usual  the 
liberty  which  your  Highness  is  so  condescending  as  to 
allow  me  in  private." 

"Am  I  to  understand  that  Colonel  Geraldine  is 
afraid  ? "  asked  his  Highness,  taking  his  cheroot  from 
his  lips,  and  looking  keenly  into  the  other's  face.        j 

"  My  fear  is  certainly  not  personal,"  replied  the  other 
proudly ;  "  of  that  your  Highness  may  rest  well  assured." 

"  I  had  supposed  as  much,"  returned  the  Prince,  with 
undisturbed  good  humour;  "but  I  was  unwilling  to  re- 
mind you  of  the  difference  in  our  stations.  No  more  — 
no  more,"  he  added,  seeing  Geraldine  about  to  apologize, 
"you  stand  excused." 

And  he  smoked  placidly,  leaning  against  a  railing, 
until  the  young  man  returned. 

"Well,"  he  asked,  "has  our  reception  been  ar- 
ranged ?  " 

"  Follow  me,"  was  the  reply.  "  The  President  will 
see  you  in  the  cabinet.  And  let  me  warn  you  to  be 
frank  in  your  answers.     I  have  stood  your  guarantee; 

«7 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

but  the  club  requires  a  searching  inquiry  before  admis- 
sion ;  for  the  indiscretion  of  a  single  member  would  lead 
to  the  dispersion  of  the  whole  society  forever." 

The  Prince  and  Geraldine  put  their  heads  together  for 
a  moment.  "  Bear  me  out  in  this,"  said  the  one;  and 
"bear  me  out  in  that,"  said  the  other;  and  by  boldly 
taking  up  the  characters  of  men  with  whom  both  were 
acquainted,  they  had  come  to  an  agreement  in  a  twink- 
ling, and  were  ready  to  follow  their  guide  into  the 
President's  cabinet. 

There  were  no  formidable  obstacles  to  pass.  The 
outer  door  stood  open ;  the  door  of  the  cabinet  was 
ajar;  and  there,  in  a  small  but  very  high  apartment,  the 
young  man  left  them  once  more. 

"  He  will  be  here  immediately,"  he  said  with  a  nod, 
as  he  disappeared. 

Voices  were  audible  in  the  cabinet  through  the  fold- 
ing doors  which  formed  one  end;  and  now  and  then 
the  noise  of  a  champagne  cork,  followed  by  a  burst  of 
laughter,  intervened  among  the  sounds  of  conversation. 
A  single  tall  window  looked  out  upon  the  river  and  the 
embankment;  and  by  the  disposition  of  the  lights  they 
judged  themselves  not  far  from  Charing  Cross  station. 
The  furniture  was  scanty,  and  the  coverings  worn  to 
the  thread;  and  there  was  nothing  movable  except  a 
hand-bell  in  the  centre  of  a  round  table,  and  the  hats 
and  coats  of  a  considerable  party  hung  round  the  wall 
on  pegs. 

"  What  sort  of  a  den  is  this  ?"  said  Geraldine. 

"  That  is  what  I  have  come  to  see,"  replied  the  Prince. 
"  If  they  keep  live  devils  on  the  premises,  the  thing  may 
grow  amusing." 

18 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB 

Just  then  the  folding  door  was  opened  no  more  than 
was  necessary  for  the  passage  of  a  human  body ;  and 
there  entered  at  the  same  moment  a  louder  buzz  of  talk, 
and  the  redoubtable  President  of  the  Suicide  Club.  The 
President  was  a  man  of  fifty  or  upwards;  large  and 
rambling  in  his  gait,  with  shaggy  side-whiskers,  a  bald 
top  to  his  head,  and  a  veiled  gray  eye,  which  now  and 
then  emitted  a  twinkle.  His  mouth,  which  embraced 
a  large  cigar,  he  kept  continually  screwing  round  and 
round  and  from  side  to  side,  as  he  looked  sagaciously 
and  coldly  at  the  strangers.  He  was  dressed  in  light 
tweeds,  with  his  neck  very  open,  in  a  striped  shirt 
collar;  and  carried  a  minute  book  under  one  arm. 

"Good  evening,"  said  he,  after  he  had  closed  the  door 
behind  him.     "  I  am  told  you  wish  to  speak  with  me." 

"We  have  a  desire,  sir,  to  join  the  Suicide  Club," 
replied  the  Colonel. 

The  President  rolled  his  cigar  about  in  his  mouth. 

"What  is  that ? "  he  said  abruptly. 

"Pardon  me,"  returned  the  Colonel,  "but  I  believe 
you  are  the  person  best  qualified  to  give  us  information 
on  that  point." 

"  I  ?  "  cried  the  President.  ' '  A  Suicide  Club  ?  Come, 
come!  this  is  a  frolic  for  All  Fools'  Day.  I  can  make 
allowances  for  gentlemen  who  get  merry  in  their  liquor; 
but  let  there  be  an  end  to  this." 

"Call  your  Club  what  you  will,"  said  the  Colonel, 
"you  have  some  company  behind  these  doors,  and  we 
insist  on  joining  it." 

"Sir,"  returned  the  President,  curtly,  "you  have 
made  a  mistake.  This  is  a  private  house,  and  you 
must  leave  it  instantly." 

19 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

The  Prince  had  remained  quietly  in  his  seat  through- 
out this  little  colloquy;  but  now,  when  the  Colonel 
looked  over  to  him,  as  much  as  to  say,  "Take  your 
answer  and  come  away,  for  God's  sake! "  he  drew  his 
cheroot  from  his  mouth,  and  spoke 

"I  have  come  here,"  said  he,  "  upon  the  invitation  of 
a  friend  of  yours.  He  has  doubtless  informed  you  of 
my  intention  in  thus  intruding  on  your  party.  Let  me 
remind  you  that  a  person  in  my  circumstances  has  ex- 
ceedingly little  to  bind  him,  and  is  not  at  all  likely  to 
tolerate  much  rudeness.  I  am  a  very  quiet  man,  as  a 
usual  thing;  but,  my  dear  sir,  you  are  either  going  to 
oblige  me  in  the  little  matter  of  which  you  are  aware, 
or  you  shall  very  bitterly  repent  that  you  ever  admitted 
me  to  your  ante-chamber." 

The  President  laughed  aloud. 

"That  is  the  way  to  speak,"  said  he.  "You  are  a 
man  who  is  a  man.  You  know  the  way  to  my  heart, 
and  can  do  what  you  like  with  me.  Will  you,"  he 
continued,  addressing  Geraldine,  "will  you  step  aside 
for  a  few  minutes  ?  I  shall  finish  first  with  your  com- 
panion, and  some  of  the  club's  formalities  require  to 
be  fulfilled  in  private." 

With  these  words  he  opened  the  door  of  a  small 
closet,  into  which  he  shut  the  Colonel. 

"I  believe  in  you,"  he  said  to  Florizel,  as  soon  as 
they  were  alone;  "  but  are  you  sure  of  your  friend?" 

"Not  so  sure  as  I  am  of  myself,  though  he  has  more 
cogent  reasons,"  answered  Florizel,  "but  sure  enough 
to  bring  him  here  without  alarm.  He  has  had  enough 
to  cure  the  most  tenacious  man  of  life.  He  was  cash- 
iered the  other  day  for  cheating  at  cards." 

20 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

"A  good  reason,  I  daresay,"  replied  the  President; 
"at  least,  we  have  another  in  the  same  case,  and  I  feel 
sure  of  him.  Have  you  also  been  in  the  Service,  may  1 
ask?" 

"  I  have,"  was  the  reply;  "  but  I  was  too  lazy,  I  left 
it  early." 

"What  is  your  reason  for  being  tired  of  life?"  pur- 
sued the  President. 

"  The  same,  as  near  as  I  can  make  out,"  answered  the 
Prince;  "unadulterated  laziness." 

The  President  started.  "D — n  it,"  said  he,  "you 
must  have  something  better  than  that." 

"  I  have  no  more  money,"  added  Florizel.  "That  is 
also  a  vexation,  without  doubt.  It  brings  my  sense  of 
idleness  to  an  acute  point." 

The  President  rolled  his  cigar  round  in  his  mouth  for 
some  seconds,  directing  his  gaze  straight  into  the  eyes 
of  this  unusual  neophyte ;  but  the  Prince  supported  his 
scrutiny  with  unabashed  good  temper. 

"  If  I  had  not  a  deal  of  experience,"  said  the  President 
at  last,  "I  should  turn  you  off.  But  I  know  the  world ; 
and  this  much  any  way,  that  the  most  frivolous  excuses 
for  a  suicide  are  often  the  toughest  to  stand  by.  And 
when  I  downright  like  a  man,  as  I  do  you,  sir,  I  would 
rather  strain  the  regulation  than  deny  him." 

The  Prince  and  the  Colonel,  one  after  the  other,  were 
subjected  to  a  long  and  particular  interrogatory:  the 
Prince  alone ;  but  Geraldine  in  the  presence  of  the  Prince, 
so  that  the  President  might  observe  the  countenance  of 
the  one  while  the  other  was  being  warmly  cross-exam- 
ined. The  result  was  satisfactory;  and  the  President, 
after  having  booked  a  few  details  of  each  case,  produced 

21 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

a  form  of  oath  to  be  accepted.  Nothing  could  be  con- 
ceived more  passive  than  the  obedience  promised,  or 
more  stringent  than  the  terms  by  which  the  juror  bound 
himself.  The  man  who  forfeited  a  pledge  so  awful  could 
scarcely  have  a  rag  of  honour  or  any  of  the  consolations 
of  religion  left  to  him.  Florizel  signed  the  document, 
but  not  without  a  shudder;  the  Colonel  followed  his  ex- 
ample with  an  air  of  great  depression.  Then  the  Presi- 
dent received  the  entry  money ;  and  without  more  ado, 
introduced  the  two  friends  into  the  smoking-room  of  the 
Suicide  Club. 

The  smoking-room  of  the  Suicide  Club  was  the  same 
height  as  the  cabinet  into  which  it  opened,  but  much 
larger,  and  papered  from  top  to  bottom  with  an  imita- 
tion of  oak  wainscot.  A  large  and  cheerful  fire  and  a 
number  of  gas-jets  illuminated  the  company.  The 
Prince  and  his  follower  made  the  number  up  to  eighteen. 
Most  of  the  party  were  smoking,  and  drinking  cham- 
pagne; a  feverish  hilarity  reigned,  with  sudden  and 
rather  ghastly  pauses. 

"Is  this  a  full  meeting?"  asked  the  Prince. 

"Middling,"  said  the  President.  "By  the  way,"  he 
added,  "if  you  have  any  money,  it  is  usual  to  offer 
some  champagne.  It  keeps  up  a  good  spirit,  and  is  one 
of  my  own  little  perquisites." 

"Hammersmith,"  said  Florizel,  "I  may  leave  the 
champagne  to  you." 

And  with  that  he  turned  away  and  began  to  go  round 
among  the  guests.  Accustomed  to  play  the  host  in  the 
highest  circles,  he  charmed  and  dominated  all  whom  he 
approached ;  there  was  something  at  once  winning  and 
authoritative  in  his  address;  and  his  extraordinary  cool- 

22 


THE   SUICIDE   CLUB 

ness  gave  him  yet  another  distinction  in  this  half 
maniacal  society.  As  he  went  from  one  to  another  he 
kept  both  his  eyes  and  ears  open,  and  soon  began  to 
gain  a  general  idea  of  the  people  among  whom  he 
found  himself.  As  in  all  other  places  of  resort,  one 
type  predominated  :  people  in  the  prime  of  youth, 
with  every  show  of  intelligence  and  sensibility  in  their 
appearance,  but  with  little  promise  of  strength  or  the 
quality  that  makes  success.  Few  were  much  above 
thirty,  and  not  a  few  were  still  in  their  teens.  They 
stood,  leaning  on  tables  and  shifting  on  their  feet; 
sometimes  they  smoked  extraordinarily  fast,  and  some- 
times they  let  their  cigars  go  out;  some  talked  well, 
but  the  conversation  of  others  was  plainly  the  re- 
sult of  nervous  tension,  and  was  equally  without  wit 
or  purport.  As  each  new  bottle  of  champagne  was 
opened,  there  was  a  manifest  improvement  in  gayety. 
Only  two  were  seated  —  one  in  a  chair  in  the  recess  of 
the  window,  with  his  head  hanging  and  his  hands 
plunged  deep  into  his  trouser  pockets,  pale,  visibly 
moist  with  perspiration,  saying  never  a  word,  a  very 
wreck  of  soul  and  body;  the  other  sat  on  the  divan 
close  by  the  chimney,  and  attracted  notice  by  a  trench- 
ant dissimilarity  from  all  the  rest.  He  was  probably 
upwards  of  forty,  but  he  looked  fully  ten  years  older; 
and  Florizel  thought  he  had  never  seen  a  man  more 
naturally  hideous,  nor  one  more  ravaged  by  disease 
and  ruinous  excitements.  He  was  no  more  than  skin 
and  bone,  was  partly  paralysed,  and  wore  spectacles 
of  such  unusual  power,  that  his  eyes  appeared  through 
the  glasses  greatly  magnified  and  distorted  in  shape. 
Except  the  Prince  and  the  President,  he  was  the  only 

33 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

person  in  the  room  who  preserved  the  composure  of 
ordinary  life. 

There  was  little  decency  among  the  members  of  the 
club.  Some  boasted  of  the  disgraceful  actions,  the  con- 
sequences of  which  had  reduced  them  to  seek  refuge 
in  death ;  and  the  others  listened  without  disapproval. 
There  was  a  tacit  understanding  against  moral  judg- 
ments ;  and  whoever  passed  the  club  doors  enjoyed 
already  some  of  the  immunities  of  the  tomb.  They 
drank  to  each  other's  memories,  and  to  those  of  notable 
suicides  in  the  past.  They  compared  and  developed 
their  different  views  of  death  —  some  declaring  that  it 
was  no  more  than  blackness  and  cessation ;  others  full 
of  a  hope  that  that  very  night  they  should  be  scaling 
the  stars  and  commercing  with  the  mighty  dead. 

"To  the  eternal  memory  of  Baron  Trenck,  the  type 
of  suicides!"  cried  one.  "He  went  out  of  a  small  cell 
into  a  smaller,  that  he  might  come  forth  again  to 
freedom." 

■ '  For  my  part,"  said  a  second,  "  I  wish  no  more  than 
a  bandage  for  my  eyes  and  cotton  for  my  ears.  Only 
they  have  no  cotton  thick  enough  in  this  world. " 

A  third  was  for  reading  the  mysteries  of  life  in  a  future 
state ;  and  a  fourth  professed  that  he  would  never  have 
joined  the  club,  if  he  had  not  been  induced  to  believe  in 
Mr.  Darwin. 

"  I  could  not  bear,"  said  this  remarkable  suicide,  "to 
be  descended  from  an  ape." 

Altogether,  the  Prince  was  disappointed  by  the  bear- 
ing and  conversation  of  the  members. 

"  It  does  not  seem  to  me,"  he  thought,  "  a  matter  for 
so  much  disturbance.     If  a  man  has  made  up  his  mind 

24 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

to  kill  himself,  let  him  do  it,  in  God's  name,  like  a  gentle- 
man.    This  flutter  and  big  talk  is  out  of  place." 

in  the  meanwhile  Colonel  Geraldine  was  a  prey  to  the 
blackest  apprehensions ;  the  club  and  its  rules  were  still 
a  mystery,  and  he  looked  round  the  room  for  some  one 
who  should  be  able  to  set  his  mind  at  rest.  In  this 
survey  his  eye  lighted  on  the  paralytic  person  with 
the  strong  spectacles;  and  seeing  him  so  exceedingly 
tranquil,  he  besought  the  President,  who  was  going  in 
and  out  of  the  room  under  a  pressure  of  business,  to 
present  him  to  the  gentleman  on  the  divan. 

The  functionary  explained  the  needlessness  of  all  such 
formalities  within  the  club,  but  nevertheless  presented 
Mr.  Hammersmith  to  Mr.  Malthus. 

Mr.  Malthus  looked  at  the  Colonel  curiously,  and  then 
requested  him  to  take  a  seat  upon  his  right. 

"  You  are  a  new-comer,"  he  said;  "and  wish  infor- 
mation ?  You  have  come  to  the  proper  source.  It  is 
two  years  since  I  first  visited  this  charming  club." 

The  Colonel  breathed  again.  If  Mr.  Malthus  had  fre- 
quented the  place  for  two  years  there  could  be  little 
danger  for  the  Prince  in  a  single  evening.  But  Geral- 
dine was  none  the  less  astonished,  and  began  to  suspect 
a  mystification. 

"What!"  cried  he,  "two  years!  I  thought  —  but 
indeed  I  see  I  have  been  made  the  subject  of  a  pleas- 
antry." 

"By  no  means,"  replied  Mr.  Malthus  mildly.  "My 
case  is  peculiar.  I  am  not,  properly  speaking,  a  suicide 
at  all ;  but,  as  it  were,  an  honorary  member.  I  rarely 
visit  the  club  twice  in  two  months.  My  infirmity  and 
the  kindness  of  the  President  have  procured  me  these 

25 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

little  immunities,  for  which  besides  I  pay  at  an  advanced 
rate.     Even  as  it  is  my  luck  has  been  extraordinary." 

"lam  afraid,"  said  the  Colonel,  "that  I  must  ask  you 
to  be  more  explicit.  You  must  remember  that  I  am 
still  most  imperfectly  acquainted  with  the  rules  of  the 
club." 

* '  An  ordinary  member  who  comes  here  in  search  of 
death  like  yourself,"  replied  the  paralytic,  "returns 
every  evening  until  fortune  favours  him.  He  can,  even  if 
he  is  penniless,  get  board  and  lodging  from  the  Presi- 
dent :  very  fair,  I  believe,  and  clean,  although,  of  course, 
not  luxurious;  that  could  hardly  be,  considering  the 
exiguity  (if  I  may  so  express  myself)  of  the  subscrip- 
tion. And  then  the  President's  company  is  a  delicacy 
in  itself." 

"  Indeed! "  cried  Geraldine,  " he  had  not  greatly  pre- 
possessed me." 

"Ah!"  said  Mr.  Malthus,  "you  do  not  know  the 
man:  the  drollest  fellow!  What  stories!  What  cyn- 
icism !  He  knows  life  to  admiration  and,  between  our- 
selves, is  probably  the  most  corrupt  rogue  in  Christ- 
endom." 

"And  he  also,"  asked  the  Colonel,  "  is  a  permanency 
—  like  yourself,  if  I  may  say  so  without  offence?" 

"  Indeed,  he  is  a  permanency  in  a  very  different  sense 
from  me,"  replied  Mr.  Malthus.  "I  have  been  gra- 
ciously spared,  but  I  must  go  at  last.  Now  he  never 
plays.  He  shuffles  and  deals  for  the  club,  and  makes 
the  necessary  arrangements.  That  man,  my  dear  Mr. 
Hammersmith,  is  the  very  soul  of  ingenuity.  For  three 
years  he  has  pursued  in  London  his  useful  and,  I  think 
I  may  add,  his  artistic  calling;  and  not  so  much  as  a 

26 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

whisper  of  suspicion  has  been  once  aroused.  I  believe 
him  myself  to  be  inspired.  You  doubtless  remember 
the  celebrated  case,  six  months  ago,  of  the  gentleman 
who  was  accidentally  poisoned  in  a  chemist's  shop  ? 
That  was  one  of  the  least  rich,  one  of  the  least  racy,  of 
his  notions;  but  then,  how  simple!  and  how  safe!" 

"  You  astound  me,"  said  the  Colonel.  "Was  that 
unfortunate  gentleman  one  of  the  —  "  He  was  about 
to  say  "victims;"  but  bethinking  himself  in  time,  he 
substituted  — "members  of  the  club  ?  " 

In  the  same  flash  of  thought  it  occurred  to  him  that 
Mr.  Malthus  himself  had  not  at  all  spoken  in  the  tone 
of  one  who  is  in  love  with  death ;  and  he  added  hur- 
riedly : 

"  But  I  perceive  I  am  still  in  the  dark.  You  speak  of 
shuffling  and  dealing;  pray  for  what  end?  And  since 
you  seem  rather  unwilling  to  die  than  otherwise,  I 
must  own  that  I  cannot  conceive  what  brings  you  here 
at  all." 

"You  say  truly  that  you  are  in  the  dark,"  replied 
Mr.  Malthus  with  more  animation.  "Why,  my  dear 
sir,  this  club  is  the  temple  of  intoxication.  If  my  en- 
feebled health  could  support  the  excitement  more  often, 
you  may  depend  upon  it  I  should  be  more  often  here. 
It  requires  all  the  sense  of  duty  engendered  by  a  long 
habit  of  ill-health  and  careful  regimen,  to  keep  me  from 
excess  in  this,  which  is,  I  may  say,  my  last  dissipation. 
I  have  tried  them  all,  sir,"  he  went  on,  laying  his  hand 
on  Geraldine's  arm,  "all  without  exception,  and  I  de- 
clare to  you,  upon  my  honour,  there  is  not  one  of  them 
that  has  not  been  grossly  and  untruthfully  overrated. 
People  trifle  with  love.     Now,  I  deny  that  love  is  a 

27 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

strong  passion.  Fear  is  the  strong  passion ;  it  is  with 
fear  that  you  must,  trifle,  if  you  wish  to  taste  the  intense 
joys  of  living.  Envy  me — envy  me,  sir,"  he  added 
with  a  chuckle,  "lama  coward! " 

Geraldine  could  scarcely  repress  a  movement  of  re- 
pulsion for  this  deplorable  wretch ;  but  he  commanded 
himself  with  an  effort,  and  continued  his  inquiries. 

"  How,  sir,"  he  asked,  "  is  the  excitement  so  artfully 
prolonged  ?  and  where  is  there  any  element  of  uncer- 
tainty?" 

"I  must  tell  you  how  the  victim  for  every  evening  is 
selected,"  returned  Mr.  Malthus;  "and  not  only  the  vic- 
tim, but  another  member,  who  is  to  be  the  instrument 
in  the  club's  hands,  and  death's  high  priest  for  that 
occasion." 

"Good  God!"  said  the  Colonel,  "do  they  then  kill 
each  other?" 

"The  trouble  of  suicide  is  removed  in  that  way,"  re- 
turned Malthus  with  a  nod." 

"Merciful  Heavens!"  ejaculated  the  Colonel,  "and 
may  you  —  may  I  —  may  the  —  my  friend,  I  mean  —  may 
any  of  us  be  pitched  upon  this  evening  as  the  slayer  of 
another  man's  body  and  immortal  spirit?  Can  such 
things  be  possible  among  men  born  of  women  ?  Oh ! 
infamy  of  infamies ! " 

He  was  about  to  rise  in  his  horror,  when  he  caught 
the  Prince's  eye.  It  was  fixed  upon  him  from  across 
the  room  with  a  frowning  and  angry  stare.  And  in  a 
moment  Geraldine  recovered  his  composure. 

"After  all,"  he  added,  "why  not?  And  since  you 
say  the  game  is  interesting,  vogue  la  galere  —  I  follow 
the  club!" 

28 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

Mr.  Malthus  had  keenly  enjoyed  the  Colonel's  amaze- 
ment and  disgust.  He  had  the  vanity  of  wickedness ; 
and  it  pleased  him  to  see  another  man  give  way  to  a 
generous  movement,  while  he  felt  himself,  in  his  entire 
corruption,  superior  to  such  emotions. 

"  You  now,  after  your  first  moment  of  surprise,"  said 
he,  ' '  are  in  a  position  to  appreciate  the  delights  of  our 
society.  You  can  see  how  it  combines  the  excitement 
of  a  gaming-table,  a  duel,  and  a  Roman  amphitheatre. 
The  Pagans  did  well  enough ;  I  cordially  admire  the  re- 
finement of  their  minds ;  but  it  has  been  reserved  for  a 
Christian  country  to  attain  this  extreme,  this  quintes- 
sence, this  absolute  of  poignancy.  You  will  understand 
how  vapid  are  all  amusements  to  a  man  who  has  ac- 
quired a  taste  for  this  one.  The  game  we  play,"  he 
continued,  'Ms  one  of  extreme  simplicity.  A  full  pack 
—  but  I  perceive  you  are  about  to  see  the  thing  in  prog- 
ress. Will  you  lend  me  the  help  of  your  arm  ?  I  am 
unfortunately  paralysed. " 

Indeed,  just  as  Mr.  Malthus  was  beginning  his  de- 
scription, another  pair  of  folding-doors  was  thrown 
open,  and  the  whole  club  began  to  pass,  not  without 
some  hurry,  into  the  adjoining  room.  It  was  similar 
in  every  respect  to  the  one  from  which  it  was  entered, 
but  somewhat  differently  furnished.  The  centre  was 
occupied  by  a  long  green  table,  at  which  the  President 
sat  shuffling  a  pack  of  cards  with  great  particularity. 
Even  with  the  stick  and  the  Colonel's  arm,  Mr.  Malthus 
walked  with  so  much  difficulty  that  everyone  was  seated 
before  this  pair  and  the  Prince,  who  had  waited  for  them, 
entered  the  apartment;  and,  in  consequence,  the  three 
took  seats  close  together  at  the  lower  end  of  the  board. 

20 


NEW  ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

"It  is  a  pack  of  fifty-two,"  whispered  Mr.  Malthus. 
"  Watch  for  the  ace  of  spades,  which  is  the  sign  of 
death,  and  the  ace  of  clubs,  which  designates  the  official 
of  the  night.  Happy,  happy  young  men!"  he  added. 
"  You  have  good  eyes,  and  can  follow  the  game.  Alas ! 
I  cannot  tell  an  ace  from  a  deuce  across  the  table. " 

And  he  proceeded  to  equip  himself  with  a  second 
pair  of  spectacles. 

"  I  must  at  least  watch  the  faces,"  he  explained. 

The  Colonel  rapidly  informed  his  friend  of  all  that  he 
had  learned  from  the  honorary  member,  and  of  the  hor- 
rible alternative  that  lay  before  them.  The  Prince  was 
conscious  of  a  deadly  chill  and  a  contraction  about  his 
heart;  he  swallowed  with  difficulty,  and  looked  from 
side  to  side  like  a  man  in  a  maze. 

"One  bold  stroke,"  whispered  the  Colonel,  "and  we 
may  still  escape." 

But  the  suggestion  recalled  the  Prince's  spirits. 

"Silence!  "  said  he.  "  Let  me  see  that  you  can  play 
like  a  gentleman  for  any  stake,  however  serious." 

And  he  looked  about  him,  once  more  to  all  appear- 
ance at  his  ease,  although  his  heart  beat  thickly,  and  he 
was  conscious  of  an  unpleasant  heat  in  his  bosom. 
The  members  were  all  very  quiet  and  intent;  everyone 
was  pale,  but  none  so  pale  as  Mr.  Malthus.  His  eyes 
protruded;  his  head  kept  nodding  involuntarily  upon  his 
spine ;  his  hands  found  their  way,  one  after  the  other, 
to  his  mouth,  where  they  made  clutches  at  his  tremu- 
lous and  ashen  lips.  It  was  plain  that  the  honorary 
member  enjoyed  his  membership  on  very  startling  terms. 

"Attention,  gentlemen  !"said  the  President. 

And  he  began  slowly  dealing  the  cards  about  the  table 
30 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

in  the  reverse  direction,  pausing  until  each  man  had 
shown  his  card.  Nearly  everyone  hesitated ;  and  some- 
times you  would  see  a  player's  fingers  stumble  more 
than  once  before  he  could  turn  over  the  momentous  slip 
of  pasteboard.  As  the  Prince's  turn  drew  nearer,  he 
was  conscious  of  a  growing  and  almost  suffocating  ex- 
citement; but  he  had  somewhat  of  the  gambler's  nature, 
and  recognised  almost  with  astonishment  that  there  was 
a  degree  of  pleasure  in  his  sensations.  The  nine  of  clubs 
fell  to  his  lot;  the  three  of  spades  was  dealt  to  Geraldine; 
and  the  queen  of  hearts  to  Mr.  Malthus,  who  was  un- 
able to  suppress  a  sob  of  relief.  The  young  man  of  the 
cream  tarts  almost  immediately  afterwards  turned  over 
the  ace  of  clubs,  and  remained  frozen  with  horror,  the 
card  still  resting  on  his  finger;  he  had  not  come  there  to 
kill,  but  to  be  killed;  and  the  Prince,  in  his  generous 
sympathy  with  his  position,  almost  forgot  the  peril  that 
still  hung  over  himself  and  his  friend. 

The  deal  was  coming  round  again,  and  still  Death's 
card  had  not  come  out.  The  players  held  their  respira- 
tion, and  only  breathed  by  gasps.  The  Prince  received 
another  club;  Geraldine  had  a  diamond;  but  when  Mr. 
Malthus  turned  up  his  card  a  horrible  noise,  like  that  of 
something  breaking,  issued  from  his  mouth;  and  he 
rose  from  his  seat  and  sat  down  again,  with  no  sign  of 
his  paralysis.  It  was  the  ace  of  spades.  The  honorary 
member  had  trifled  once  too  often  with  his  terrors. 

Conversation  broke  out  again  almost  at  once.  The 
players  relaxed  their  rigid  attitudes,  and  began  to  rise 
from  the  table  and  stroll  back  by  twos  and  threes  into 
the  smoking-room.  The  President  stretched  his  arms 
and  yawned,  like  a  man  who  had  finished  his  day's  work 

V 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

But  Mr.  Malthus  sat  in  his  place,  with  his  head  in  his 
hands,  and  his  hands  upon  the  table,  drunk  and  motion- 
less—  a  thing  stricken  down. 

The  Prince  and  Geraldine  made  their  escape  at  once. 
In  the  cold  night  air  their  horror  of  what  they  had 
witnessed  was  redoubled. 

"Alas! "  cried  the  Prince,  "to  be  bound  by  an  oath  in 
such  a  matter!  to  allow  this  wholesale  trade  in  murder 
to  be  continued  with  profit  and  impunity !  If  I  but  dared 
to  forfeit  my  pledge ! " 

"That  is  impossible  for  your  Highness,"  replied  the 
Colonel,  ' '  whose  honour  is  the  honour  of  Bohemia.  But 
I  dare,  and  may  with  propriety,  forfeit  mine." 

"  Geraldine,"  said  the  Prince,  "if  your  honour  suffers 
in  any  of  the  adventures  into  which  you  follow  me,  not 
only  will  I  never  pardon  you,  but  —  what  I  believe  will 
much  more  sensibly  affect  you —  )  should  never  forgive 
myself." 

"I  receive  your  Highness's  commands,"  replied  the 
Colonel.     "  Shall  we  go  from  this  accursed  spot  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  the  Prince.  "Call  a  cab  in  Heaven's 
name,  and  let  me  try  to  forget  in  slumber  the  memory 
of  this  night's  disgrace." 

But  it  was  notable  that  he  carefully  read  the  name  of 
the  court  before  he  left  it. 

The  next  morning,  as  soon  as  the  Prince  was  stirring, 
Colonel  Geraldine  brought  him  a  daily  newspaper,  with 
the  following  paragraph  marked : 

"Melancholy  Accident. — This  morning,  about  two 
o'clock,  Mr.  Bartholomew  Malthus,  of  \6  Chepstow 
Place,  Westbourne  Grove,  on  his  way  home  from  a  party 
at  a  friend's  house,  fell  over  the  upper  parapet  in  Trafal- 

32 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

gar  Square,  fracturing  his  skull  and  breaking  a  leg  and 
an  arm.  Death  was  instantaneous.  Mr.  Malthus,  ac- 
companied by  a  friend,  was  engaged  in  looking  for  a 
cab  at  the  time  of  the  unfortunate  occurrence.  As  Mr. 
Malthus  was  paralytic,  it  is  thought  that  his  fall  may  have 
been  occasioned  by  another  seizure.  The  unhappy  gentle- 
man was  well  known  in  the  most  respectable  circles, 
and  his  loss  will  be  widely  and  deeply  deplored." 

"  If  ever  a  soul  went  straight  to  Hell,"  said  Geraldine 
solemnly,  "it  was  that  paralytic  man's." 

The  Prince  buried  his  face  in  his  hands,  and  remained 
silent. 

"I  am  almost  rejoiced,"  continued  the  Colonel,  "to 
know  that  he  is  dead.  But  for  our  young  man  of  the 
cream  tarts  I  confess  my  heart  bleeds." 

"Geraldine,"  said  the  Prince,  raising  his  face,  "that 
unhappy  lad  was  last  night  as  innocent  as  you  and  I; 
and  this  morning  the  guilt  of  blood  is  on  his  soul. 
When  I  think  of  the  President,  my  heart  grows  sick 
within  me.  I  do  not  know  how  it  shall  be  done,  but  I 
shall  have  that  scoundrel  at  my  mercy  as  there  is  a  God 
in  heaven.  What  an  experience,  what  a  lesson,  was 
that  game  of  cards !  " 

"One,"  said  the  Colonel,  "never  to  be  repeated." 

The  Prince  remained  so  long  without  replying,  that 
Geraldine  grew  alarmed. 

"  You  cannot  mean  to  return,"  he  said.  "  You  have 
suffered  too  much,  and  seen  too  much  horror  already. 
The  duties  of  your  high  position  forbid  the  repetition 
of  the  hazard." 

"There  is  much  in  what  you  say,"  replied  Prince 
Florizel,   "and  I  am  not  altogether  pleased  with  my 


NEW  ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

own  determination.  Alas  !  in  the  clothes  of  the  great- 
est potentate,  what  is  there  but  a  man  ?  I  never 
felt  my  weakness  more  acutely  than  now,  Geraldine, 
but  it  is  stronger  than  I.  Can  I  cease  to  interest  my- 
self in  the  fortunes  of  the  unhappy  young  man  who 
supped  with  us  some  hours  ago  ?  Can  I  leave  the 
President  to  follow  his  nefarious  career  unwatched? 
Can  I  begin  an  adventure  so  entrancing,  and  not  follow 
it  to  an  end  ?  No,  Geraldine ;  you  ask  of  the  Prince  more 
than  the  man  is  able  to  perform.  To-night,  once  more, 
we  take  our  places  at  the  table  of  the  Suicide  Club." 

Colonel  Geraldine  fell  upon  his  knees. 

"  Will  your  Highness  take  my  life?"  he  cried.  "It 
is  his  —  his  freely;  but  do  not,  O  do  not!  let  him  ask 
me  to  countenance  so  terrible  a  risk." 

"Colonel  Geraldine,"  replied  the  Prince,  with  some 
haughtiness  of  manner,  "your  life  is  absolutely  your 
own.  I  only  looked  for  obedience;  and  when  that  is 
unwillingly  rendered,  I  shall  look  for  that  no  longer.  I 
add  one  word :  your  importunity  in  this  affair  has  been 
sufficient." 

The  Master  of  the  Horse  regained  his  feet  at  once. 
"Your  Highness,"  he  said,  "may  I  be  excused  in  my 
attendance  this  afternoon  ?  I  dare  not,  as  an  honour- 
able man,  venture  a  second  time  into  that  fatal  house 
until  I  have  perfectly  ordered  my  affairs.  Your  High- 
ness shall  meet,  I  promise  him,  with  no  more  opposi- 
tion from  the  most  devoted  and  grateful  of  his  servants." 

"My  dear  Geraldine,"  returned  Prince  Florizel,  "I 
always  regret  when  you  oblige  me  to  remember  my 
rank.  Dispose  of  your  day  as  you  think  fit,  but  be  here 
before  eleven  in  the  same  disguise." 

34 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

The  club,  on  this  second  evening,  was  not  so  fully 
attended ;  and  when  Geraldine  and  the  Prince  arrived, 
there  were  not  above  half-a-dozen  persons  in  the  smok- 
ing-room. His  Highness  took  the  President  aside  and 
congratulated  him  warmly  on  the  demise  of  Mr.  Malthus. 

"1  like,"  he  said,  "to  meet  with  capacity,  and  cer- 
tainly find  much  of  it  in  you.  Your  profession  is  of  a 
very  delicate  nature,  but  I  see  you  are  well  qualified  to 
conduct  it  with  success  and  secrecy." 

The  President  was  somewhat  affected  by  these  com- 
pliments from  one  of  his  Highness's  superior  bearing. 
He  acknowledged  them  almost  with  humility. 

"  Poor  Malthy ! "  he  added,  "  I  shall  hardly  know  the 
club  without  him.  The  most  of  my  patrons  are  boys, 
sir,  and  poetical  boys,  who  are  not  much  company  for 
me.  Not  but  what  Malthy  had  some  poetry,  too ;  but 
it  was  of  a  kind  that  I  could  understand." 

"I  can  readily  imagine  you  should  find  yourself  in 
sympathy  with  Mr.  Malthus,"  returned  the  Prince. 
"He  struck  me  as  a  man  of  a  very  original  disposition." 

The  young  man  of  the  cream  tarts  was  in  the  room, 
but  painfully  depressed  and  silent.  His  late  companions 
sought  in  vain  to  lead  him  into  conversation. 

"How  bitterly  I  wish,"  he  cried,  "that  I  had  never 
brought  you  to  this  infamous  abode!  Begone,  while 
you  are  clean-handed.  If  you  could  have  heard  the  old 
man  scream  as  he  fell,  and  the  noise  of  his  bones  upon 
the  pavement!  Wish  me,  if  you  have  any  kindness  to  so 
fallen  a  being — wish  the  ace  of  spades  for  me  to-night! " 

A  few  more  members  dropped  in  as  the  evening  went 
on,  but  the  club  did  not  muster  more  than  the  devil's 
dozen  when  they  took  their  places  at  the  table.     The 

35 


NEW  ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

Prince  was  again  conscious  of  a  certain  joy  in  his  alarms ; 
but  he  was  astonished  to  see  Geraldine  so  much  more 
self-possessed  than  on  the  night  before. 

"It  is  extraordinary,"  thought  the  Prince,  "that  a 
will,  made  or  unmade,  should  so  greatly  influence  a 
young  man's  spirit." 

"Attention,  gentlemen!"  said  the  President,  and  he 
began  to  deal. 

Three  times  the  cards  went  all  round  the  table,  and 
neither  of  the  marked  cards  had  yet  fallen  from  his  hand. 
The  excitement  as  he  began  the  fourth  distribution  was 
overwhelming.  There  were  just  cards  enough  to  go  once 
more  entirely  round.  The  Prince,  who  sat  second  from 
the  dealer's  left,  would  receive,  in  the  reverse  mode  of 
dealing  practised  at  the  club,  the  second  last  card.  The 
third  player  turned  up  a  black  ace  —  it  was  tne  ace  of 
clubs.  The  next  received  a  diamond,  the  next  a  heart, 
and  so  on ;  but  the  ace  of  spades  was  still  undelivered. 
At  last  Geraldine,  who  sat  upon  the  Prince's  left,  turned 
his  card ;  it  was  an  ace,  but  the  ace  of  hearts. 

When  Prince  Florizel  saw  his  fate  upon  the  table  in 
front  of  him,  his  heart  stood  still.  He  was  a  brave  man, 
but  the  sweat  poured  off  his  face.  There  were  exactly 
fifty  chances  out  of  a  hundred  that  he  was  doomed.  He 
reversed  the  card ;  it  was  the  ace  of  spades.  A  loud  roar- 
ing filled  his  brain,  and  the  table  swam  before  his  eyes. 
He  heard  the  player  on  his  right  break  into  a  fit  of 
laughter  that  sounded  between  mirth  and  disappoint- 
ment; he  saw  the  company  rapidly  dispersing,  but  his 
mind  was  full  of  other  thoughts.  He  recognised  how 
foolish,  how  criminal,  had  been  his  conduct.  In  perfect 
health,  in  the  prime  of  his  years,  the  heir  to  a  throne,  he 

36 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

had  gambled  away  his  future  and  that  of  a  brave  and 
loyal  country.  "God,"  he  cried,  "God  forgive  me!" 
And  with  that,  the  confusion  of  his  senses  passed  away, 
and  he  regained  his  self-possession  in  a  moment. 

To  his  surprise  Geraldine  had  disappeared.  There 
was  no  one  in  the  card-room  but  his  destined  butcher 
consulting  with  the  President,  and  the  young  man  of 
the  cream  tarts,  who  slipped  up  to  the  Prince  and  whis- 
pered in  his  ear: 

"  I  would  give  a  million,  if  I  had  it,  for  your  luck." 

His  Highness  could  not  help  reflecting,  as  the  young 
man  departed,  that  he  would  have  sold  his  opportunity 
for  a  much  more  moderate  sum. 

The  whispered  conference  now  came  to  an  end.  The 
holder  of  the  ace  of  clubs  left  the  room  with  a  look 
of  intelligence,  and  the  President,  approaching  the  un- 
fortunate Prince,  proffered  him  his  hand. 

"I  am  pleased  to  have  met  you,  sir,"  said  he,  "and 
pleased  to  have  been  in  a  position  to  do  you  this  trifling 
service.  At  least,  you  cannot  complain  of  delay.  On 
the  second  evening  —  what  a  stroke  of  luck!  " 

The  Prince  endeavoured  in  vain  to  articulate  some- 
thing in  response,  but  his  mouth  was  dry  and  his 
tongue  seemed  paralysed. 

"  You  feel  a  little  sickish  ?"  asked  the  President,  with 
some  show  of  solicitude.  "Most  gentlemen  do.  Will 
you  take  a  little  brandy  ?  " 

The  Prince  signified  in  the  affirmative,  and  the  other 
immediately  filled  some  of  the  spirit  into  a  tumbler. 

"  Poor  old  Malthy !  "  ejaculated  the  President,  as  the 
Prince  drained  the  glass.  "  He  drank  near  upon  a  pint, 
and  little  enough  good  it  seemed  to  do  him! " 

37 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

"I  am  more  amenable  to  treatment,"  said  the  Prince, 
a  good  deal  revived.  "I  am  my  own  man  again  at 
once,  as  you  perceive.  And  so,  let  me  ask  you,  what 
are  my  directions  ?  " 

"  You  will  proceed  along  the  Strand  in  the  direction 
of  the  City,  and  on  the  left-hand  pavement,  until  you 
meet  the  gentleman  who  has  just  left  the  room.  He 
will  continue  your  instructions,  and  him  you  will  have 
the  kindness  to  obey ;  the  authority  of  the  club  is  vested 
in  his  person  for  the  night.  And  now,"  added  the  Presi- 
dent, "  I  wish  you  a  pleasant  walk." 

Florizel  acknowledged  the  salutation  rather  awk- 
wardly, and  took  his  leave.  He  passed  through  the 
smoking-room,  where  the  bulk  of  the  players  were  still 
consuming  champagne,  some  of  which  he  had  himself 
ordered  and  paid  for;  and  he  was  surprised  to  find  him- 
self cursing  them  in  his  heart.  He  put  on  his  hat  and 
great  coat  in  the  cabinet,  and  selected  his  umbrella  from 
a  corner.  The  familiarity  of  these  acts,  and  the  thought 
that  he  was  about  them  for  the  last  time,  betrayed  him 
into  a  fit  of  laughter  which  sounded  unpleasantly  in  his 
own  ears.  He  conceived  a  reluctance  to  leave  the  cabi- 
net, and  turned  instead  to  the  window.  The  sight  of 
the  lamps  and  the  darkness  recalled  him  to  himself. 

"Come,  come,  I  must  be  a  man,"  he  thought,  "and 
tear  myself  away." 

At  the  corner  of  Box  Court  three  men  fell  upon 
Prince  Florizel  and  he  was  unceremoniously  thrust  into 
a  carriage,  which  at  once  drove  rapidly  away.  There 
was  already  an  occupant. 

"Will  your  Highness  pardon  my  zeal  ?"  said  a  well- 
known  voice. 

38 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

The  Prince  threw  himself  upon  the  Colonel's  neck  in 
a  passion  of  relief. 

"How  can  I  ever  thank  you  ?  "  he  cried.  ' '  And  how 
was  this  effected  ?" 

Although  he  had  been  willing  to  march  upon  his 
doom,  he  was  overjoyed  to  yield  to  friendly  violence, 
and  return  once  more  to  life  and  hope. 

"You  can  thank  me  effectually  enough,"  replied  the 
Colonel,  "by  avoiding  all  such  dangers  in  the  future. 
And  as  for  your  second  question,  all  has  been  managed 
by  the  simplest  means.  I  arranged  this  afternoon  with 
a  celebrated  detective.  Secrecy  has  been  promised  and 
paid  for.  Your  own  servants  have  been  principally 
engaged  in  the  affair.  The  house  in  Box  Court  has 
been  surrounded  since  nightfall,  and  this,  which  is  one 
of  your  own  carriages,  has  been  awaiting  you  for  nearly 
an  hour." 

"And  the  miserable  creature  who  was  to  have  slain 
me  —  what  of  him  ?"  inquired  the  Prince. 

"He  was  pinioned  as  he  left  the  club,"  replied  the 
Colonel,  "and  now  awaits  your  sentence  at  the  Palace, 
where  he  will  soon  be  joined  by  his  accomplices." 

"Geraldine,"  said  the  Prince,  "you  have  saved  me 
against  my  explicit  orders,  and  you  have  done  well.  I 
owe  you  not  only  my  life,  but  a  lesson;  and  I  should 
be  unworthy  of  my  rank  if  I  did  not  show  myself 
grateful  to  my  teacher.  Let  it  be  yours  to  choose  the 
manner." 

There  was  a  pause,  during  which  the  carriage  con- 
tinued to  speed  through  the  streets,  and  the  two  men 
were  each  buried  in  his  own  reflections.  The  silence 
was  broken  by  Colonel  Geraldine. 

39 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

"Your  Highness,"  said  he,  "has  by  this  time  a 
considerable  body  of  prisoners.  There  is  at  least  one 
criminal  among  the  number  to  whom  justice  should  be 
dealt.  Our  oath  forbids  us  all  recourse  to  law;  and 
discretion  would  forbid  it  equally  if  the  oath  were 
loosened.    May  I  inquire  your  Highness's  intention  ?  " 

"  It  is  decided, "  answered  Florizel ;  "the  President  must 
fall  in  duel.     It  only  remains  to  choose  his  adversary." 

"Your  Highness  has  permitted  me  to  name  my  own 
recompense,"  said  the  Colonel.  "Will  he  permit  me 
to  ask  the  appointment  of  my  brother  ?  It  is  an  honour- 
able post,  but  I  dare  assure  your  Highness  that  the  lad 
will  acquit  himself  with  credit." 

"You  ask  me  an  ungracious  favour,"  said  the  Prince, 
"but  I  must  refuse  you  nothing." 

The  Colonel  kissed  his  hand  with  the  greatest  affec- 
tion ;  and  at  that  moment  the  carriage  rolled  under  the 
archway  of  the  Prince's  splendid  residence. 

An  hour  after,  Florizel  in  his  official  robes,  and  cov- 
ered with  all  the  orders  of  Bohemia,  received  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Suicide  Club." 

"Foolish  and  wicked  men,"  said  he,  "as  many  of 
you  as  have  been  driven  into  this  strait  by  the  lack 
of  fortune  shall  receive  employment  and  remuneration 
from  my  officers.  Those  who  suffer  under  a  sense  of 
guilt  must  have  recourse  to  a  higher  and  more  generous 
Potentate  than  I.  I  feel  pity  for  all  of  you,  deeper  than 
you  can  imagine;  to-morrow  you  shall  tell  me  your 
stories ;  and  as  you  answer  more  frankly,  I  shall  be  the 
more  able  to  remedy  your  misfortunes.  As  for  you," 
he  added,  turning  to  the  President,  "I  should  only  of- 
fend a  person  of  your  parts  by  any  offer  of  assistance; 

40 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB 

but  I  have  instead  a  piece  of  diversion  to  propose  to 
you.  Here,"  laying  his  hand  on  the  shoulder  of  Colo- 
nel Geraldine's  young  brother,  "is  an  officer  of  mine 
who  desires  to  make  a  little  tour  upon  the  Continent; 
and  I  ask  you,  as  a  favour,  to  accompany  him  on  this 
excursion.  Do  you,"  he  went  on,  changing  his  tone, 
"  do  you  shoot  well  with  the  pistol  ?  Because  you  may 
have  need  of  that  accomplishment.  When  two  men 
go  travelling  together,  it  is  best  to  be  prepared  for  all. 
Let  me  add  that,  if  by  any  chance  you  should  lose  young 
Mr.  Geraldine  upon  the  way,  I  shall  always  have  another 
member  of  my  household  to  place  at  your  disposal;  and 
I  am  known,  Mr.  President,  to  have  long  eyesight,  and 
as  long  an  arm." 

With  these  words,  said  with  much  sternness,  the 
Prince  concluded  his  address.  Next  morning  the  mem- 
bers of  the  club  were  suitably  provided  for  by  his  mu- 
nificence, and  the  President  set  forth  upon  his  travels, 
under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Geraldine,  and  a  pair  of 
faithful  and  adroit  lackeys,  well  trained  in  the  Prince's 
household.  Not  content  with  this,  discreet  agents  were 
put  in  possession  of  the  house  of  Box  Court,  and  all 
letters  of  visitors  for  the  Suicide  Club  or  its  officials  were 
to  be  examined  by  Prince  Florizel  in  person. 

Here  (says  my  Arabian  author)  ends  The  Story  of 
the  Young  Man  with  the  Cream  Tarts,  who  is  now  a 
comfortable  householder  in  Wigmore  Street,  Cavendish 
Square.  The  number,  for  obvious  reasons,  I  suppress. 
Those  who  care  to  pursue  the  adventures  of  Prince  Flori- 
zel and  the  President  of  the  Suicide  Club,  may  read  the 
History  of  the  Physician  and  the  Saratoga  Trunk. 

41 


STORY  OF  THE  PHYSICIAN  AND 
THE  SARATOGA  TRUNK 

Mr.  Silas  Q.  Scuddamore  was  a  young  American  of  a 
simple  and  harmless  disposition,  which  was  the  more 
to  his  credit  as  he  came  from  New  England  —  a  quarter 
of  the  New  World  not  precisely  famous  for  those  qual- 
ities. Although  he  was  exceedingly  rich,  he  kept  a 
note  of  all  his  expenses  in  a  little  paper  pocket-book ; 
and  he  had  chosen  to  study  the  attractions  of  Paris  from 
the  seventh  story  of  what  is  called  a  furnished  hotel,  in 
the  Latin  Quarter.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  habit  in 
his  penuriousness ;  and  his  virtue,  which  was  very  re- 
markable among  his  associates,  was  principally  founded 
upon  diffidence  and  youth. 

The  next  room  to  his  was  inhabited  by  a  lady,  very 
attractive  in  her  air  and  very  elegant  in  toilette,  whom, 
on  his  first  arrival,  he  had  taken  for  a  Countess.  In 
course  of  time  he  had  learned  that  she  was  known  by 
the  name  of  Madame  Zephyrine,  and  that  whatever  sta- 
tion she  occupied  in  life  it  was  not  that  of  a  person  of 
title.  Madame  Zephyrine,  probably  in  the  hope  of  en- 
chanting the  young  American,  used  to  flaunt  by  him  on 
the  stairs  with  a  civil  inclination,  a  word  of  course,  and 
a  knock-down  look  out  of  her  black  eyes,  and  disappear 
in  a  rustle  of  silk,  and  with  the  revelation  of  an  admira- 

42 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

ble  foot  and  ankle.  But  these  advances,  so  far  from  en- 
couraging Mr.  Scuddamore,  plunged  him  into  the  depths 
of  depression  and  bashfulness.  She  had  come  to  him 
several  times  for  a  light,  or  to  apologise  for  the  imagi- 
nary depredations  of  her  poodle;  but  his  mouth  was 
closed  in  the  presence  of  so  superior  a  being,  his  French 
promptly  left  him,  and  he  could  only  stare  and  stammer 
until  she  was  gone.  The  slenderness  of  their  intercourse 
did  not  prevent  him  from  throwing  out  insinuations  of 
a  very  glorious  order  when  he  was  safely  alone  with  a 
few  males. 

The  room  on  the  other  side  of  the  American's  —  for 
there  were  three  rooms  on  a  floor  in  the  hotel  —  was 
tenanted  by  an  old  English  physician  of  rather  doubtful 
reputation.  Dr.  Noel,  for  that  was  his  name,  had  been 
forced  to  leave  London,  where  he  enjoyed  a  large  and 
increasing  practice;  and  it  was  hinted  that  the  police 
had  been  the  instigators  of  this  change  of  scene.  At 
least  he,  who  had  made  something  of  a  figure  in  earlier 
life,  now  dwelt  in  the  Latin  Quarter  in  great  simplicity 
and  solitude,  and  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  study. 
Mr.  Scuddamore  had  made  his  acquaintance,  and  the 
pair  would  now  and  then  dine  together  frugally  in  a 
restaurant  across  the  street. 

Silas  Q_.  Scuddamore  had  many  little  vices  of  the 
more  respectable  order,  and  was  not  restrained  by  deli- 
cacy from  indulging  them  in  many  rather  doubtful  ways. 
Chief  among  his  foibles  stood  curiosity.  He  was  a  born 
gossip ;  and  life,  and  especially  those  parts  of  it  in  which 
he  had  no  experience,  interested  him  to  the  degree  of 
passion.  He  was  a  pert,  invincible  questioner,  pushing 
his  inquiries  with  equal  pertinacity  and  indiscretion ;  he 

43 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

had  been  observed,  when  he  took  a  letter  to  the  post,  to 
weigh  it  in  his  hand,  to  turn  it  over  and  over,  and  to 
study  the  address  with  care ;  and  when  he  found  a  flaw 
in  the  partition  between  his  room  and  Madame  Zephy- 
rine's,  instead  of  filling  it  up,  he  enlarged  and  improved 
the  opening,  and  made  use  of  it  as  a  spy-hole  on  his 
neighbour's  affairs. 

One  day,  in  the  end  of  March,  his  curiosity  growing 
as  it  was  indulged,  he  enlarged  the  hole  a  little  further, 
so  that  he  might  command  another  corner  of  the  room. 
That  evening,  when  he  went  as  usual  to  inspect  Madame 
Zephyrine's  movements,  he  was  astonished  to  find  the 
aperture  obscured  in  an  odd  manner  on  the  other  side, 
and  still  more  abashed  when  the  obstacle  was  suddenly 
withdrawn  and  a  titter  of  laughter  reached  his  ears. 
Some  of  the  plaster  had  evidently  betrayed  the  secret 
of  his  spy-hole,  and  his  neighbour  had  been  returning 
the  compliment  in  kind.  Mr.  Scuddamore  was  moved 
to  a  very  acute  feeling  of  annoyance ;  he  condemned  Ma- 
dame Zephyrine  unmercifully;  he  even  blamed  himself; 
but  when  he  found,  next  day,  that  she  had  taken  no 
means  to  baulk  him  of  his  favourite  pastime,  he  con- 
tinued to  profit  by  her  carelessness,  and  gratify  his  idle 
curiosity. 

That  next  day  Madame  Zephyrine  received  a  long 
visit  from  a  tall,  loosely-built  man  of  fifty  or  upwards, 
whom  Silas  had  not  hitherto  seen.  His  tweed  suit  and 
coloured  shirt,  no  less  than  his  shaggy  side-whiskers, 
identified  him  as  a  Britisher,  and  his  dull  gray  eye  af- 
fected Silas  with  a  sense  of  cold.  He  kept  screwing  his 
mouth  from  side  to  side  and  round  and  round  during 
the  whole  colloquy,  which  was  carried  on  in  whispers. 

44 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

More  than  once  it  seemed  to  the  young  New  Englander 
as  if  their  gestures  indicated  his  own  apartment ;  but 
the  only  thing  definite  he  could  gather  by  the  most 
scrupulous  attention  was  this  remark  made  by  the  Eng- 
lishman in  a  somewhat  higher  key,  as  if  in  answer  to 
some  reluctance  or  opposition. 

"  I  have  studied  his  taste  to  a  nicety,  and  I  tell  you 
again  and  again  you  are  the  only  woman  of  the  sort 
that  I  can  lay  my  hands  on." 

In  answer  to  this,  Madame  Zephyrine  sighed,  and 
appeared  by  a  gesture  to  resign  herself,  like  one  yield- 
ing to  unqualified  authority. 

That  afternoon  the  observatory  was  finally  blinded, 
a  wardrobe  having  been  drawn  in  front  of  it  upon  the 
other  side,  and  while  Silas  was  still  lamenting  over  this 
misfortune,  which  he  attributed  to  the  Britisher's  malign 
suggestion,  the  concierge  brought  him  up  a  letter  in  a 
female  handwriting.  It  was  conceived  in  French  of  no 
very  rigorous  orthography,  bore  no  signature,  and  in 
the  most  encouraging  terms  invited  the  young  American 
to  be  present  in  a  certain  part  of  the  Bullier  Ball  at  eleven 
o'clock  that  night.  Curiosity  and  timidity  fought  a  long 
battle  in  his  heart ;  sometimes  he  was  all  virtue,  some- 
times all  fire  and  daring ;  and  the  result  of  it  was  that, 
long  before  ten,  Mr.  Silas  CL.  Scuddamore  presented 
himself  in  unimpeachable  attire  at  the  door  of  the  Bullier 
Ball  Rooms,  and  paid  his  entry  money  with  a  sense  of 
reckless  deviltry  that  was  not  without  its  charm. 

It  was  Carnival  time,  and  the  Ball  was  very  full  and 
noisy.  The  lights  and  the  crowd  at  first  rather  abashed 
our  young  adventurer,  and  then,  mounting  to  his  brain 
with  a  sort  of  intoxication,  put  him  in  possession  of 

45 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

more  than  his  own  share  of  manhood.  He  felt  ready 
to  face  the  devil,  and  strutted  in  the  ballroom  with  the 
swagger  of  a  cavalier.  While  he  was  thus  parading,  he 
became  aware  of  Madame  Zephyrine  and  her  Britisher 
in  conference  behind  a  pillar.  The  cat-like  spirit  of 
eaves-dropping  overcame  him  at  once.  He  stole  nearer 
and  nearer  on  the  couple  from  behind,  until  he  was 
within  earshot. 

"That  is  the  man,"  the  Britisher  was  saying;  "there 
—  with  the  long  blond  hair  —  speaking  to  a  girt  in 
green." 

Silas  identified  a  very  handsome  young  fellow  of 
small  stature,  who  was  plainly  the  object  of  this  desig- 
nation. 

"It  is  well,"  said  Madame  Zephyrine.  "I  shall  do 
my  utmost.  But,  remember,  the  best  of  us  may  fail  in 
such  a  matter." 

"Tut! "  returned  her  companion ;  " I  answer  for  the 
result.  Have  I  not  chosen  you  from  thirty  ?  Go ;  but 
be  wary  of  the  Prince.  I  cannot  think  what  cursed 
accident  has  brought  him  here  to-night.  As  if  there 
were  not  a  dozen  balls  in  Paris  better  worth  his  notice 
than  this  riot  of  students  and  counter-jumpers!  See 
him  where  he  sits,  more  like  a  reigning  Emperor  at 
home  than  a  Prince  upon  his  holidays!  " 

Silas  was  again  lucky.  He  observed  a  person  of 
rather  a  full  build,  strikingly  handsome,  and  of  a  very 
stately  and  courteous  demeanour,  seated  at  table  with 
another  handsome  young  man,  several  years  his  junior, 
who  addressed  him  with  conspicuous  deference.  The 
name  of  Prince  struck  gratefully  on  Silas's  Republican 
hearing,  and  the  aspect  of  the  person  to  whom  that 

46 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB 

name  was  applied  exercised  its  usual  charm  upon  his 
mind.  He  left  Madame  Zephyrine  and  her  Englishman 
to  take  care  of  each  other,  and  threading  his  way 
through  the  assembly,  approached  the  table  which  the 
Prince  and  his  confidant  had  honoured  with  their  choice. 

"  I  tell  you,  Geraldine,"  the  former  was  saying,  "the 
action  is  madness.  Yourself  (I  am  glad  to  remember 
it)  chose  your  brother  for  this  perilous  service,  and  you 
are  bound  in  duty  to  have  a  guard  upon  his  conduct. 
He  has  consented  to  delay  so  many  days  in  Paris;  that 
was  already  an  imprudence,  considering  the  character 
of  the  man  he  has  to  deal  with ;  but  now,  when  he  is 
within  eight  and  forty  hours  of  his  departure,  when  he 
is  within  two  or  three  days  of  the  decisive  trial,  I  ask 
you,  is  this  a  place  for  him  to  spend  his  time  ?  He  should 
be  in  a  gallery  at  practice ;  he  should  be  sleeping  long 
hours  and  taking  moderate  exercise  on  foot;  he  should 
be  on  a  rigorous  diet,  without  white  wines  or  brandy. 
Does  the  dog  imagine  we  are  all  playing  comedy  ?  The 
thing  is  deadly  earnest,  Geraldine." 

"  I  know  the  lad  too  well  to  interfere,"  replied  Colonel 
Geraldine,  "  and  well  enough  not  to  be  alarmed.  He  is 
more  cautious  than  you  fancy,  and  of  an  indomitable 
spirit.  If  it  had  been  a  woman  I  should  not  say  so 
much,  but  I  trust  the  President  to  him  and  the  two  valets 
without  an  instant's  apprehension." 

"  I  am  gratified  to  hear  you  say  so, "  replied  the  Prince ; 
"  but  my  mind  is  not  at  rest.  These  servants  are  well- 
trained  spies,  and  already  has  not  this  miscreant  suc- 
ceeded three  times  in  eluding  their  observation  and 
spending  several  hours  on  end  in  private,  and  most 
likely  dangerous,  affairs  ?    An  amateur  might  have  lost 

47 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

him  by  accident,  but  if  Rudolph  and  Jerome  were  thrown 
off  the  scent,  it  must  have  been  done  on  purpose,  and 
by  a  man  who  had  a  cogent  reason  and  exceptional  re- 
sources." 

"1  believe  the  question  is  now  one  between  my 
brother  and  myself,"  replied  Geraldine,  with  a  shade  of 
offence  in  his  tone. 

"I  permit  it  to  be  so,  Colonel  Geraldine,"  returned 
Prince  Florizel.  "Perhaps,  for  that  very  reason,  you 
should  be  all  the  more  ready  to  accept  my  counsels. 
But  enough.     That  girl  in  yellow  dances  well." 

And  the  talk  veered  into  the  ordinary  topics  of  a  Paris 
ballroom  in  the  Carnival. 

Silas  remembered  where  he  was,  and  that  the  hour 
was  already  near  at  hand  when  he  ought  to  be  upon  the 
scene  of  his  assignation.  The  more  he  reflected  the  less 
he  liked  the  prospect,  and  as  at  that  moment  an  eddy 
in  the  crowd  began  to  draw  him  in  the  direction  of  the 
door,  he  suffered  it  to  carry  him  away  without  resis- 
tance. The  eddy  stranded  him  in  a  corner  under  the 
gallery,  where  his  ear  was  immediately  struck  with 
the  voice  of  Madame  Zephyrine.  She  was  speaking  in 
French  with  the  young  man  of  the  blond  locks  who 
had  been  pointed  out  by  the  strange  Britisher  not  half 
an  hour  before. 

" I  have  a  character  at  stake,"  she  said,  "or  I  would 
put  no  other  condition  than  my  heart  recommends.  But 
you  have  only  to  say  so  much  to  the  porter,  and  he  will 
let  you  go  by  without  a  word." 

' '  But  why  this  talk  of  debt  ?  "  objected  her  companion. 

" Heavens!  "  said  she,  "do  you  think  I  do  not  under- 
stand my  own  hotel  ?  " 

48 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

And  she  went  by,  clinging  affectionately  to  her  com- 
panion's arm. 

This  put  Silas  in  mind  of  his  billet. 

"Ten  minutes  hence,"  thought  he,  "and  I  maybe 
walking  with  as  beautiful  a  woman  as  that,  and  even 
better  dressed  —  perhaps  a  real  lady,  possibly  a  woman 
of  title." 

And  then  he  remembered  the  spelling,  and  was  a  little 
downcast. 

"But  it  may  have  been  written  by  her  maid,"  he 
imagined. 

The  clock  was  only  a  few  minutes  from  the  hour,  and 
this  immediate  proximity  set  his  heart  beating  at  a  curi- 
ous and  rather  disagreeable  speed.  He  reflected  with 
relief  that  he  was  in  no  way  bound  to  put  in  an  appear- 
ance. Virtue  and  cowardice  were  together,  and  he 
made  once  more  for  the  door,  but  this  time  of  his  own 
accord,  and  battling  against  the  stream  of  people  which 
was  now  moving  in  a  contrary  direction.  Perhaps  this 
prolonged  resistance  wearied  him,  or  perhaps  he  was  in 
that  frame  of  mind  when  merely  to  continue  in  the  same 
determination  for  a  certain  number  of  minutes  produces 
a  reaction  and  a  different  purpose.  Certainly,  at  least, 
he  wheeled  about  for  a  third  time,  and  did  not  stop  until 
he  had  found  a  place  of  concealment  within  a  few  yards 
of  the  appointed  place. 

Here  he  went  through  an  agony  of  spirit,  in  which 
he  several  times  prayed  to  God  for  help,  for  Silas  had 
been  devoutly  educated.  He  had  now  not  the  least  in- 
clination for  the  meeting;  nothing  kept  him  from  flight 
but  a  silly  fear  lest  he  should  be  thought  unmanly ;  but 
this  was  so  powerful  that  it  kept  head  against  all  other 

49 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

motives;  and  although  it  could  not  decide  him  to  ad- 
vance, prevented  him  from  definitely  running  away.  At 
last  the  clock  indicated  ten  minutes  past  the  hour. 
Young  Scuddamore's  spirit  began  to  rise;  he  peered 
round  the  corner  and  saw  no  one  at  the  place  of  meet- 
ing; doubtless  his  unknown  correspondent  had  wearied 
and  gone  away.  He  became  as  bold  as  he  had  formerly 
been  timid.  It  seemed  to  him  that  if  he  came  at  all  to 
the  appointment,  however  late,  he  was  clear  from  the 
charge  of  cowardice.  Nay,  now  he  began  to  suspect  a 
hoax,  and  actually  complimented  himself  on  his  shrewd- 
ness in  having  suspected  and  out-manoeuvred  his  mys- 
tifiers.     So  very  idle  a  thing  is  a  boy's  mind ! 

Armed  with  these  reflections,  he  advanced  boldly 
from  his  corner;  but  he  had  not  taken  above  a  couple  of 
steps  before  a  hand  was  laid  upon  his  arm.  He  turned 
and  beheld  a  lady  cast  in  a  very  large  mould  and  with 
somewhat  stately  features,  but  bearing  no  mark  of 
severity  in  her  looks. 

"I  see  that  you  are  a  very  self-confident  lady-killer/' 
said  she;  ''for  you  make  yourself  expected.  But  I  was 
determined  to  meet  you.  When  a  woman  has  once  so 
far  forgotten  herself  as  to  make  the  first  advance,  she 
has  long  ago  left  behind  her  all  considerations  of  petty 
pride." 

Silas  was  overwhelmed  by  the  size  and  attractions 
of  his  correspondent  and  the  suddenness  with  which  she 
had  fallen  upon  him.  But  she  soon  set  him  at  his  ease. 
She  was  very  towardly  and  lenient  in  her  behaviour;  she 
led  him  on  to  make  pleasantries,  and  then  applauded 
him  to  the  echo;  and  in  a  very  short  time,  between 
blandishments  and  a  liberal  imbibition  of  warm  brandy. 

50 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB 

she  had  not  only  induced  him  to  fancy  himself  in  love, 
but  to  declare  his  passion  with  the  greatest  vehemence. 

"Alas!"  she  said;  "I  do  not  know  whether  I  ought 
not  to  deplore  this  moment,  great  as  is  the  pleasure  you 
give  me  by  your  words.  Hitherto  I  was  alone  to  suffer; 
now,  poor  boy,  there  will  be  two.  I  am  not  my  own 
mistress.  I  dare  not  ask  you  to  visit  me  at  my  own 
house,  for  I  am  watched  by  jealous  eyes.  Let  me  see," 
she  added;  "I  am  older  than  you,  although  so  much 
weaker;  and  while  I  trust  in  your  courage  and  deter- 
mination, I  must  employ  my  own  knowledge  of  the 
world  for  our  mutual  benefit.    Where  do  you  live?" 

He  told  her  that  he  lodged  in  a  furnished  hotel,  and 
named  the  street  and  number. 

She  seemed  to  reflect  for  some  minutes,  with  an  effort 
of  mind. 

"  I  see,"  she  said  at  last.  "  You  will  be  faithful  and 
obedient,  will  you  not?" 

Silas  assured  her  eagerly  of  his  fidelity. 

"To-morrow  night,  then,"  she  continued,  with  an 
encouraging  smile,  "you  must  remain  at  home  all  the 
evening;  and  if  any  friends  should  visit  you,  dismiss 
them  at  once  on  any  pretext  that  most  readily  presents 
itself.     Your  door  is  probably  shut  by  ten  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  By  eleven,"  answered  Silas. 

'*  At  a  quarter  past  eleven,"  pursued  the  lady,  "leave 
the  house.  Merely  cry  for  the  door  to  be  opened,  and 
be  sure  you  fall  into  no  talk  with  the  porter,  as  that 
might  ruin  everything.  Go  straight  to  the  corner 
where  the  Luxembourg  Gardens  join  the  Boulevard; 
there  you  will  find  me  waiting  you.  I  trust  you  to  fol- 
low my  advice  from  point  to  point :  and  remember,  if 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

you  fail  me  in  only  one  particular,  you  will  bring  the 
sharpest  trouble  on  a  woman  whose  only  fault  is  to 
have  seen  and  loved  you." 

"I  cannot  see  the  use  of  all  these  instructions,"  said 
Silas. 

"I  believe  you  are  already  beginning  to  treat  me  as  a 
master,"  she  cried,  tapping  him  with  her  fan  upon  the 
arm.  "Patience,  patience!  that  should  come  in  time. 
A  woman  loves  to  be  obeyed  at  first,  although  after- 
wards she  finds  her  pleasure  in  obeying.  Do  as  I  ask 
you,  for  Heaven's  sake,  or  I  will  answer  for  nothing. 
Indeed,  now  I  think  of  it,"  she  added,  with  the  manner 
of  one  who  had  just  seen  further  into  a  difficulty,  "I 
find  a  better  plan  of  keeping  importunate  visitors  away. 
Tell  the  porter  to  admit  no  one  for  you,  except  a  per- 
son who  may  come  that  night  to  claim  a  debt;  and 
speak  with  some  feeling,  as  though  you  feared  the  in- 
terview, so  that  he  may  take  your  words  in  earnest." 

' '  I  think  you  may  trust  me  to  protect  myself  against 
intruders,"  he  said,  not  without  a  little  pique. 

"That  is  how  I  should  prefer  the  thing  arranged," 
she  answered,  coldly.  "I  know  you  men;  you  think 
nothing  of  a  woman's  reputation." 

Silas  blushed  and  somewhat  hung  his  head ;  for  the 
scheme  he  had  in  view  had  involved  a  little  vain-glory- 
ing before  his  acquaintances. 

"Above  all,"  she  added,  "  do  not  speak  to  the  porter 
as  you  come  out." 

"And  why?"  said  he.  "Of  all  your  instructions, 
that  seems  to  me  the  least  important." 

"  You  at  first  doubted  the  wisdom  of  some  of  the 
others,  which  you  now  see  to  be  very  necessary,"  she 

52 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB 

replied.  "Believe  me,  this  also  has  its  uses;  in  time 
you  will  see  them;  and  what  am  I  to  think  of  your 
affection,  if  you  refuse  me  such  trifles  at  our  first  inter- 
view ?  " 

Silas  confounded  himself  in  explanations  and  apolo- 
gies ;  in  the  middle  of  these  she  looked  up  at  the  clock 
and  clapped  her  hands  together  with  a  suppressed 
scream. 

"  Heavens!  "  she  cried,  "is  it  so  late  ?  I  have  not  an 
instant  to  lose.  Alas,  we  poor  women,  what  slaves  we 
are!     What  have  I  not  risked  for  you  already  ?" 

And  after  repeating  her  directions,  which  she  artfully 
combined  with  caresses  and  the  most  abandoned  looks, 
she  bade  him  farewell  and  disappeared  among  the 
crowd. 

The  whole  of  the  next  day  Silas  was  filled  with  a  sense 
of  great  importance;  he  was  now  sure  she  was  a  coun- 
tess ;  and  when  evening  came  he  minutely  obeyed  her 
orders  and  was  at  the  corner  of  the  Luxembourg  Gardens 
by  the  hour  appointed.  No  one  was  there.  He  waited 
nearly  half  an  hour,  looking  in  the  face  of  everyone  who 
passed  or  loitered  near  the  spot;  he  even  visited  the 
neighbouring  corners  of  the  Boulevard  and  made  a  com- 
plete circuit  of  the  garden  railings ;  but  there  was  no 
beautiful  countess  to  throw  herself  into  his  arms.  At 
last,  and  most  reluctantly,  he  began  to  retrace  his  steps 
towards  his  hotel.  On  the  way  he  remembered  the 
words  he  had  heard  pass  between  Madame  Zephyrine 
and  the  blond  young  man,  and  they  gave  him  an  inde- 
finite uneasiness, 

"It  appears,"  he  reflected,  "that  everyone  has  to  tell 
lies  to  our  porter. " 

53 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

He  rang  the  bell,  the  door  opened  before  him,  and  the 
porter  in  his  bed-clothes  came  to  offer  him  a  light. 

"  Has  he  gone  ?  "  inquired  the  porter. 

"He?  Whom  do  you  mean?"  asked  Silas,  some- 
what sharply,  for  he  was  irritated  by  his  disappoint- 
ment. 

"I  did  not  notice  him  go  out,"  continued  the  porter, 
"but  I  trust  you  paid  him.  We  do  not  care,  in  this 
house,  to  have  lodgers  who  cannot  meet  their  liabili- 
ties." 

"What  the  devil  do  you  mean?"  demanded  Silas, 
rudely.     "  I  cannot  understand  a  word  of  this  farrago." 

"The  short  blond  young  man  who  came  for  his 
debt,"  returned  the  other.  "Him  it  is  I  mean.  Who 
else  should  it  be,  when  I  had  your  orders  to  admit  no 
one  else?" 

"  Why,  good  God,  of  course  he  never  came,"  retorted 
Silas. 

"  I  believe  what  I  believe,"  retorted  the  porter,  putting 
his  tongue  into  his  cheek  with  a  most  roguish  air. 

"  You  are  an  insolent  scoundrel,"  cried  Silas,  and,  feel- 
ing that  he  had  made  a  ridiculous  exhibition  of  asperity, 
and  at  the  same  time  bewildered  by  a  dozen  alarms,  he 
turned  and  began  to  run  up  stairs. 

"  Do  you  not  want  a  light  then  ?"  cried  the  porter. 

But  Silas  only  hurried  the  faster,  and  did  not  pause 
until  he  had  reached  the  seventh  landing  and  stood  in 
front  of  his  own  door.  There  he  waited  a  moment  to 
recover  his  breath,  assailed  by  the  worst  forebodings  and 
almost  dreading  to  enter  the  room. 

When  at  last  he  did  so  he  was  relieved  to  find  it  dark, 
and  to  all  appearance  untenanted.      He  drew  a  long 

54 

J* 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

breath.  Here  he  was,  home  again  in  safety,  and  this 
should  be  his  last  folly  as  certainly  as  it  had  been  his 
first.  The  matches  stood  on  a  little  table  by  the  bed,  and 
he  began  to  grope  his  way  in  that  direction.  As  he 
moved,  his  apprehensions  grew  upon  him  once  more, 
and  he  was  pleased,  when  his  foot  encountered  an  ob- 
stacle, to  find  it  nothing  more  alarming  than  a  chair. 
At  last  he  touched  curtains.  From  the  position  of  the 
window,  which  was  faintly  visible,  he  knew  he  must 
be  at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  and  had  only  to  feel  his  way 
along  it  in  order  to  reach  the  table  in  question. 

He  lowered  his  hand,  but  what  he  touched  was  not 
simply  a  counterpane  —  it  was  a  counterpane  with  some- 
thing underneath  it  like  the  outline  of  a  human  leg.  Silas 
withdrew  his  arm  and  stood  a  moment  petrified. 

"What,  what,"  he  thought,  "can  this  betoken?" 

He  listened  intently,  but  there  was  no  sound  of  breath- 
ing. Once  more,  with  a  great  effort,  he  reached  out 
the  end  of  his  finger  to  the  spot  he  had  already  touched ; 
but  this  time  he  leaped  back  half  a  yard,  and  stood  shiv- 
ering and  fixed  with  terror.  There  was  something  in 
his  bed.  What  it  was  he  knew  not,  but  there  was 
something  there. 

It  was  some  seconds  before  he  could  move.  Then, 
guided  by  an  instinct,  he  fell  straight  upon  the  matches, 
and  keeping  his  back  toward  the  bed,  lighted  a  candle. 
As  soon  as  the  flame  had  kindled,  he  turned  slowly  round 
and  looked  for  what  he  feared  to  see.  Sure  enough, 
there  was  the  worst  of  his  imaginations  realized.  The 
coverlid  was  drawn  carefully  up  over  the  pillow,  but  it 
moulded  the  outline  of  a  human  body  lying  motionless ; 
and  when  he  dashed  forward  and  flung  aside  the  sheets, 

55 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

he  beheld  the  blond  young  man  whom  he  had  seen  in 
the  Bullier  Ball  the  night  before,  his  eyes  open  and  with- 
out speculation,  his  face  swollen  and  blackened,  and  a 
thin  stream  of  blood  trickling  from  his  nostrils. 

Silas  uttered  a  long  tremulous  wail,  dropped  the  can- 
dle, and  fell  on  his  knees  beside  the  bed. 

Silas  was  awakened  from  the  stupor  into  which  his 
terrible  discovery  had  plunged  him,  by  a  prolonged  but 
discreet  tapping  at  the  door.  It  took  him  some  seconds 
to  remember  his  position ;  and  when  he  hastened  to  pre- 
vent anyone  from  entering  it  was  already  too  late.  Dr. 
Noel,  in  a  tall  nightcap,  carrying  a  lamp  which  lighted 
up  his  long  white  countenance,  sidling  in  his  gait,  and 
peering  and  cocking  his  head  like  some  sort  of  bird, 
pushed  the  door  slowly  open,  and  advanced  into  the 
middle  of  the  room. 

"I  thought  I  heard  a  cry,"  began  the  Doctor,  "and 
fearing  you  might  be  unwell,  I  did  not  hesitate  to  offer 
this  intrusion." 

Silas,  with  a  flushed  face  and  a  fearful  beating  heart, 
kept  between  the  Doctor  and  the  bed ;  but  he  found  no 
voice  to  answer. 

"You  are  in  the  dark,"  pursued  the  Doctor;  "and 
yet  you  have  not  even  begun  to  prepare  for  rest.  You 
will  not  easily  persuade  me  against  my  own  eyesight; 
and  your  face  declares  most  eloquently  that  you  require 
either  a  friend  or  a  physician  —  which  is  it  to  be  ?  Let 
me  feel  your  pulse,  for  that  is  often  a  just  reporter  of  the 
heart." 

He  advanced  to  Silas,  who  still  retreated  before  him 
backwards,  and  sought  to  take  him  by  the  wrist;  but 
the  strain  on  the  young  American's  nerves  had  become 

56 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

too  great  for  endurance.  He  avoided  the  Doctor  with 
a  febrile  movement,  and,  throwing  himself  upon  the 
floor,  burst  into  a  flood  of  weeping. 

As  soon  as  Dr.  Noel  perceived  the  dead  man  in  the 
bed  his  face  darkened ;  and  hurrying  back  to  the  door 
which  he  had  left  ajar,  he  hastily  closed  and  double- 
locked  it. 

"  Up!"  he  cried,  addressing  Silas  in  strident  tones. 
"  This  is  no  time  for  weeping.  What  have  you  done  ? 
How  came  this  body  in  your  room  ?  Speak  freely  to 
one  who  may  be  helpful.  Do  you  imagine  I  would 
ruin  you  ?  Do  you  think  this  piece  of  dead  flesh  on 
your  pillow  can  alter  in  any  degree  the  sympathy  with 
which  you  have  inspired  me?  Credulous  youth,  the 
horror  with  which  blind  and  unjust  law  regards  an  ac- 
tion never  attaches  to  the  doer  in  the  eyes  of  those  who 
love  him ;  and  if  I  saw  the  friend  of  my  heart  return  to 
me  out  of  seas  of  blood  he  would  be  in  no  way  changed 
in  my  affection.  Raise  yourself,"  he  said;  "good  and 
ill  are  a  chimera;  there  is  naught  in  life  except  destiny, 
and  however  you  may  be  circumstanced  there  is  one 
at  your  side  who  will  help  you  to  the  last." 

Thus  encouraged,  Silas  gathered  himself  together, 
and  in  a  broken  voice,  and  helped  out  by  the  Doctor's 
interrogations,  contrived  at  last  to  put  him  in  pos- 
session of  the  facts.  But  the  conversation  between 
the  Prince  and  Geraldine  he  altogether  omitted,  as  he 
had  understood  little  of  its  purport,  and  had  no  idea 
that  it  was  in  any  way  related  to  his  own  misadven- 
ture. 

"Alas!"  cried  Dr.  Noel,  "I  am  much  abused,  or 
you  have  fallen  innocently  into  the  most  dangerous 

57 


NEW  ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

hands  in  Europe.  Poor  boy,  what  a  pit  has  been  dug 
for  your  simplicity!  into  what  a  deadly  peril  have 
your  unwary  feet  been  conducted  !  This  man,"  he 
said,  "this  Englishman,  whom  you  twice  saw,  and 
whom  I  suspect  to  be  the  soul  of  the  contrivance,  can 
you  describe  him  ?  Was  he  young  or  old  ?  tall  or 
short?" 

But  Silas,  who,  for  all  his  curiosity,  had  not  a  see- 
ing eye  in  his  head,  was  able  to  supply  nothing 
but  meagre  generalities,  which  it  was  impossible  to 
recognise. 

"  I  would  have  it  a  piece  of  education  in  all  schools! " 
cried  the  Doctor  angrily.  "Where  is  the  use  of  eye- 
sight and  articulate  speech  if  a  man  cannot  observe  and 
recollect  the  features  of  his  enemy  ?  I,  who  know  all 
the  gangs  of  Europe,  might  have  identified  him,  and 
gained  new  weapons  for  your  defence.  Cultivate  this 
art  in  future,  my  poor  boy ;  you  may  find  it  of  momen- 
tous service." 

"The  future !  "  repeated  Silas.  "What  future  is  there 
left  for  me  except  the  gallows  ?" 

"Youth  is  but  a  cowardly  season,"  returned  the 
Doctor;  "and  a  man's  own  troubles  look  blacker  than 
they  are.     I  am  old,  and  yet  I  never  despair." 

"Can  I  tell  such  a  story  to  the  police?"  demanded 
Silas. 

"Assuredly  not,"  replied  the  Doctor.  "  From  what 
I  see  already  of  the  machination  in  which  you  have 
been  involved,  your  case  is  desperate  upon  that  side; 
and  for  the  narrow  eye  of  the  authorities  you  are 
infallibly  the  guilty  person.  And  remember  that  we 
only  know  a  portion  of  the  plot;  and  the  same  infa- 

58 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

mous  contrivers  have  doubtless  arranged  many  other 
circumstances  which  would  be  elicited  by  a  police  in- 
quiry, and  help  to  fix  the  guilt  more  certainly  upon  your 
innocence." 

"I  am  then  lost,  indeed!  "  cried  Silas. 

"I  have  not  said  so,"  answered  Dr.  Noel,  "for  I  am 
a  cautious  man." 

''But  look  at  this!"  objected  Silas,  pointing  to  the 
body.  "Here  is  this  object  in  my  bed:  not  to  be  ex- 
plained, not  to  be  disposed  of,  not  to  be  regarded  with- 
out horror. " 

"Horror?"  replied  the  Doctor.  "No.  When  this 
sort  of  clock  has  run  down,  it  is  no  more  to  me  than 
an  ingenious  piece  of  mechanism,  to  be  investigated 
with  the  bistery.  When  blood  is  once  cold  and  stag- 
nant, it  is  no  longer  human  blood;  when  flesh  is  once 
dead,  it  is  no  longer  that  flesh  which  we  desire  in  our 
lovers  and  respect  in  our  friends.  The  grace,  the  at- 
traction, the  terror,  have  all  gone  from  it  with  the  ani- 
mating spirit.  Accustom  yourself  to  look  upon  it  with 
composure,  for  if  my  scheme  is  practicable  you  will  have 
to  live  in  constant  proximity  to  that  which  now  so 
greatly  horrifies  you." 

"Your  scheme  ? "  cried  Silas.  "  What  is  that ?  Tell 
me  speedily,  Doctor;  for  I  have  scarcely  courage  enough 
to  continue  to  exist." 

Without  replying,  Dr.  Noel  turned  towards  the  bed, 
and  proceeded  to  examine  the  corpse. 

"Quite  dead,"  he  murmured.  "Yes,  as  I  had  sup- 
posed, the  pockets  empty.  Yes,  and  the  name  cut  off 
the  shirt.  Their  work  has  been  done  thoroughly  and 
well.     Fortunately  he  is  of  small  stature." 

59 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

Silas  followed  these  words  with  an  extreme  anxiety. 
At  last  the  Doctor,  his  autopsy  completed,  took  a  chair 
and  addressed  the  young  American  with  a  smile. 

"Since  I  came  into  your  room,"  said  he,  "although 
my  ears  and  my  tongue  have  been  so  busy,  I  have  not 
suffered  my  eyes  to  remain  idle.  I  noted  a  little  while 
ago  that  you  have  there,  in  the  corner,  one  of  those 
monstrous  constructions  which  your  fellow-country- 
men carry  with  them  into  all  quarters  of  the  globe  — 
in  a  word,  a  Saratoga  trunk.  Until  this  moment  I  have 
never  been  able  to  conceive  the  utility  of  these  erections; 
but  then  I  began  to  have  a  glimmer.  Whether  it  was 
for  convenience  in  the  slave  trade,  or  to  obviate  the  re- 
sults of  too  ready  an  employment  of  the  bowie-knife,  I 
cannot  bring  myself  to  decide.  But  one  thing  I  see 
plainly  —  the  object  of  such  a  box  is  to  contain  a  hu- 
man body." 

"Surely,"  cried  Silas,  "surely  this  is  not  a  time  for 
jesting." 

"Although  I  may  express  myself  with  some  degree 
of  pleasantry,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "the  purport  of  my 
words  is  entirely  serious.  And  the  first  thing  we  have 
to  do,  my  young  friend,  is  to  empty  your  coffer  of  all  it 
contains." 

Silas,  obeying  the  authority  of  Doctor  Noel,  put  him- 
self at  his  disposition.  The  Saratoga  trunk  was  soon 
gutted  of  its  contents,  which  made  a  considerable  litter 
on  the  floor;  and  then  —  Silas  taking  the  heels  and  the 
Doctor  supporting  the  shoulders  —  the  body  of  the  mur- 
dered man  was  carried  from  the  bed,  and,  after  some 
difficulty,  doubled  up  and  inserted  whole  into  the  empty 
box.     With  an  effort  on  the  part  of  both,  the  lid  was 

60 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB 

forced  down  upon  this  unusual  baggage,  and  the  trunk 
was  locked  and  corded  by  the  Doctor's  own  hand,  while 
Silas  disposed  of  what  had  been  taken  out  between  the 
closet  and  a  chest  of  drawers. 

"Now,"  said  the  Doctor,  "the  first  step  has  been 
taken  on  the  way  to  your  deliverance.  To-morrow  or 
rather  to-day,  it  must  be  your  task  to  allay  the  suspicions 
of  your  porter,  paying  him  all  that  you  owe;  while  you 
may  trust  me  to  make  the  arrangements  necessary  to  a 
safe  conclusion.  Meantime,  follow  me  to  my  room, 
where  I  shall  give  you  a  safe  and  powerful  opiate ;  for, 
whatever  you  do,  you  must  have  rest." 

The  next  day  was  the  longest  in  Silas's  memory; 
it  seemed  as  if  it  would  never  be  done.  He  denied  him- 
self to  his  friends,  and  sat  in  a  corner  with  his  eyes 
fixed  upon  the  Saratoga  trunk  in  dismal  contemplation. 
His  own  former  indiscretions  were  now  returned  upon 
him  in  kind ;  for  the  observatory  had  been  once  more 
opened,  and  he  was  conscious  of  an  almost  continual 
study  from  Madame  Zephyrine's  apartment.  So  dis- 
tressing did  this  become,  that  he  was  at  last  obliged  to 
block  up  the  spy-hole  from  his  own  side;  and  when 
he  was  thus  secured  from  observation  he  spent  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  his  time  in  contrite  tears  and  prayer. 

Late  in  the  evening  Dr.  Noel  entered  the  room  carry- 
ing in  his  hand  a  pair  of  sealed  envelopes  without  ad- 
dress, one  somewhat  bulky,  and  the  other  so  slim  as 
to  seem  without  enclosure. 

"Silas,"  he  said,  seating  himself  at  the  table,  "the 
time  has  now  come  for  me  to  explain  my  plan  for  your 
salvation.  To-morrow  morning,  at  an  early  hour,  Prince 
Florizel  of  Bohemia  returns  to  London,  after  having 

61 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

diverted  himself  for  a  few  days  with  the  Parisian  Car- 
nival. It  was  my  fortune,  a  good  while  ago,  to  do 
Colonel  Geraldine,  his  Master  of  the  Horse,  one  of  those 
services  so  common  in  my  profession,  which  are  never 
forgotten  upon  either  side.  I  have  no  need  to  explain 
to  you  the  nature  of  the  obligation  under  which  he  was 
laid ;  suffice  it  to  say  that  I  knew  him  ready  to  serve  me 
in  any  practicable  manner.  Now,  it  was  necessary  for 
you  to  gain  London  with  your  trunk  unopened.  To 
this  the  Custom  House  seemed  to  oppose  a  fatal  diffi- 
culty ;  but  I  bethought  me  that  the  baggage  of  so  con- 
siderable a  person  as  the  Prince,  is,  as  a  matter  of  cour- 
tesy, passed  without  examination  by  the  officers  of 
Custom.  I  applied  to  Colonel  Geraldine,  and  succeeded 
in  obtaining  a  favourable  answer.  To-morrow,  if  you 
go  before  six  to  the  hotel  where  the  Prince  lodges,  your 
baggage  will  be  passed  over  as  a  part  of  his,  and  you 
yourself  will  make  the  journey  as  a  member  of  his 
suite." 

''It  seems  to  me,  as  you  speak,  that  I  have  already 
seen  both  the  Prince  and  Colonel  Geraldine ;  I  even  over- 
heard some  of  their  conversation  the  other  evening  at  the 
BulIierBall." 

"It  is  probable  enough;  for  the  Prince  loves  to  mix 
with  all  societies,"  replied  the  Doctor.  "Once  arrived 
in  London,"  he  pursued,  "your  task  is  nearly  ended. 
In  this  more  bulky  envelope  I  have  given  you  a  letter 
which  I  dare  not  address ;  but  in  the  other  you  will  find 
the  designation  of  the  house  to  which  you  must  carry  it 
along  with  your  box,  which  will  there  be  taken  from 
you  and  not  trouble  you  any  more." 

"Alas!  "  said  Silas,  "  I  have  every  wish  to  believe  you; 
62 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

but  how  is  it  possible  ?  You  open  up  to  me  a  bright 
prospect,  but,  I  ask  you,  is  my  mind  capable  of  receiv- 
ing so  unlikely  a  solution  ?  Be  more  generous,  and  let 
me  farther  understand  your  meaning. " 

The  Doctor  seemed  painfully  impressed. 

"  Boy,"  he  answered,  "you  do  not  know  how  hard 
a  thing  you  ask  of  me.  But  be  it  so.  I  am  now  inured 
to  humiliation ;  and  it  would  be  strange  if  I  refused  you 
this,  after  having  granted  you  so  much.  Know,  then, 
that  although  I  now  make  so  quiet  an  appearance  — 
frugal,  solitary,  addicted  to  study — when  I  was  younger, 
my  name  was  once  a  rallying-cry  among  the  most  astute 
and  dangerous  spirits  of  London;  and  while  I  was  out- 
wardly an  object  for  respect  and  consideration,  my  true 
power  resided  in  the  most  secret,  terrible,  and  criminal  re- 
lations. It  is  to  one  of  the  persons  who  then  obeyed  me 
that  I  now  address  myself  to  deliver  you  from  your  bur- 
den. They  were  men  of  many  different  nations  and 
dexterities,  all  bound  together  by  a  formidable  oath,  and 
working  to  the  same  purposes ;  the  trade  of  the  associa- 
tion was  in  murder;  and  I  who  speak  to  you,  innocent 
as  I  appear,  was  the  chieftain  of  this  redoubtable  crew." 

"What?"  cried  Silas.  "A  murderer?  And  one 
with  whom  murder  was  a  trade  ?  Can  I  take  your 
hand  ?  Ought  I  to  so  much  as  accept  your  services  ? 
Dark  and  criminal  old  man,  would  you  make  an  accom- 
plice of  my  youth  and  my  distress  ?  " 

The  Doctor  bitterly  laughed. 

"You  are  difficult  to  please,  Mr.  Scuddamore,"  said 
he;  "but  I  now  offer  you  your  choice  of  company  be- 
tween the  murdered  man  and  the  murderer.  If  your 
conscience  is  too  nice  to  accept  my  aid,  say  so,  and  I 

63 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

will  immediately  leave  you.  Thenceforward  you  can 
deal  with  your  trunk  and  its  belongings  as  best  suits 
your  upright  conscience." 

"I  own  myself  wrong,"  replied  Silas.  "I  should 
have  remembered  how  generously  you  offered  to  shield 
me,  even  before  I  had  convinced  you  of  my  innocence, 
and  I  continue  to  listen  to  your  counsels  with  gratitude." 

"That  is  well,"  returned  the  Doctor;  "and  I  perceive 
you  are  beginning  to  learn  some  of  the  lessons  of  ex- 
perience." 

"At  the  same  time,"  resumed  the  New-Englander, 
"as  you  confess  yourself  accustomed  to  this  tragical 
business,  and  the  people  to  whom  you  recommend  me 
are  your  own  former  associates  and  friends,  could  you 
not  yourself  undertake  the  transport  of  the  box,  and  rid 
me  at  once  of  its  detested  presence  ?  " 

"Upon  my  word,"  replied  the  Doctor,  "I  admire 
you  cordially.  If  you  do  not  think  I  have  already  med- 
dled sufficiently  in  your  concerns,  believe  me,  from  my 
heart  I  think  the  contrary.  Take  or  leave  my  services 
as  I  offer  them ;  and  trouble  me  with  no  more  words 
of  gratitude,  for  I  value  your  consideration  even  more 
lightly  than  I  do  your  intellect.  A  time  will  come,  if 
you  should  be  spared  to  see  a  number  of  years  in  health 
and  mind,  when  you  will  think  differently  of  all  this, 
and  blush  for  your  to-night's  behaviour." 

So  saying,  the  Doctor  arose  from  his  chair,  repeated 
his  directions  briefly  and  clearly,  and  departed  from  the 
room  without  permitting  Silas  any  time  to  answer. 

The  next  morning  Silas  presented  himself  at  the  hotel, 
where  he  was  politely  received  by  Colonel  Geraldine, 
and  relieved,  from  that  moment,  of  all  immediate  alarm 

64 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

about  his  trunk  and  its  grisly  contents.  The  journey 
passed  over  without  much  incident,  although  the  young 
man  was  horrified  to  overhear  the  sailors  and  railway  por- 
ters complaining  among  themselves  about  the  unusual 
weight  of  the  Prince's  baggage.  Silas  traveled  in  a  car- 
riage with  the  valets,  for  Prince  Florizel  chose  to  be 
alone  with  his  Master  of  the  Horse.  On  board  the 
steamer,  however,  Silas  attracted  his  Highness's  atten- 
tion by  the  melancholy  of  his  air  and  attitude  as  he  stood 
gazing  at  the  pile  of  baggage ;  for  he  was  still  full  of  dis- 
quietude about  the  future. 

"There  is  a  young  man,"  observed  the  Prince,  "who 
must  have  some  cause  for  sorrow." 

"That,"  replied  Geraldine,  "is  the  American  for 
whom  I  obtained  permission  to  travel  with  your  suite." 

"You  remind  me  that  I  have  been  remiss  in  cour- 
tesy," said  Prince  Florizel,  and  advancing  to  Silas,  he 
addressed  him  with  the  most  exquisite  condescension  in 
these  words, 

"I  was  charmed,  young  sir,  to  be  able  to  gratify  the 
desire  you  made  known  to  me  through  Colonel  Geral- 
dine. Remember,  if  you  please,  that  I  shall  be  glad  at 
any  future  time  to  lay  you  under  a  more  serious  obliga- 
tion." 

And  then  he  put  some  questions  as  to  the  political 
condition  of  America,  which  Silas  answered  with  sense 
and  propriety. 

"You  are  still  a  young  man,"  said  the  Prince;  "  but 
I  observe  you  to  be  very  serious  for  your  years.  Per- 
haps you  allow  your  attention  to  be  too  much  occupied 
with  grave  studies.  But,  perhaps,  on  the  other  hand,  I 
am  myself  indiscreet  and  touch  upon  a  painful  subject." 

6s 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

"I  have  certainly  cause  to  be  the  most  miserable  of 
men,"  said  Silas;  "never  has  a  more  innocent  person 
been  more  dismally  abused." 

"I  will  not  ask  you  for  your  confidence,"  returned 
Prince  Florizel.  "But  do  not  forget  that  Colonel  Ger- 
aldine's  recommendation  is  an  unfailing  passport;  and 
that  I  am  not  only  willing,  but  possibly  more  able  than 
many  others,  to  do  you  a  service." 

Silas  was  delighted  with  the  amiability  of  this  great 
personage;  but  his  mind  soon  returned  upon  its  gloomy 
preoccupations ;  for  not  even  the  favour  of  a  Prince  to  a 
Republican  can  discharge  a  brooding  spirit  of  its  cares. 

The  train  arrived  at  Charing  Cross,  where  the  officers 
of  the  Revenue  respected  the  baggage  of  Prince  Florizel 
in  the  usual  manner.  The  most  elegant  equipages  were 
in  waiting ;  and  Silas  was  driven,  along  with  the  rest, 
to  the  Prince's  residence.  There  Colonel  Geraldine 
sought  him  out,  and  expressed  himself  pleased  to  have 
been  of  any  service  to  a  friend  of  the  physician's,  for 
whom  he  professed  a  great  consideration. 

'  *  I  hope, "  he  added,  ' '  that  you  will  find  none  of  your 
porcelain  injured.  Special  orders  were  given  along  tfce 
line  to  deal  tenderly  with  the  Prince's  effects." 

And  then,  directing  the  servants  to  place  one  of  the 
carriages  at  the  young  gentleman's  disposal,  and  at  once 
to  charge  the  Saratoga  trunk  upon  the  dickey,  the  Colonel 
shook  hands  and  excused  himself  on  account  of  his  oc- 
cupations in  the  princely  household. 

Silas  now  broke  the  seal  of  the  envelope  containing 
the  address,  and  directed  the  stately  footman  to  drive 
him  to  Box  Court,  opening  off  the  Strand.  It  seemed  as 
if  the  place  were  not  at  all  unknown  to  the  man,  for  he 

66 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

looked  startled  and  begged  a  repetition  of  the  order.  It 
was  with  a  heart  full  of  alarms,  that  Silas  mounted  into 
the  luxurious  vehicle,  and  was  driven  to  his  destination. 
The  entrance  to  Box  Court  was  too  narrow  for  the  pas- 
sage of  a  coach ;  it  was  a  mere  footway  between  rail- 
ings, with  a  post  at  either  end.  On  one  of  these  posts 
was  seated  a  man,  who  at  once  jumped  down  and  ex- 
changed a  friendly  sign  with  the  driver,  while  the  foot- 
man opened  the  door  and  inquired  of  Silas  whether  he 
should  take  down  the  Saratoga  trunk,  and  to  what 
number  it  should  be  carried. 

"  If  you  please,"  said  Silas.     "To  number  three." 

The  footman  and  the  man  who  had  been  sitting  on 
the  post,  even  with  the  aid  of  Silas  himself,  had  hard 
work  to  carry  in  the  trunk;  and  before  it  was  depos- 
ited at  the  door  of  the  house  in  question,  the  young 
American  was  horrified  to  find  a  score  of  loiterers  look- 
ing on. 

But  he  knocked  with  as  good  a  countenance  as  he 
could  muster  up,  and  presented  the  other  envelope  to 
him  who  opened. 

"  He  is  not  at  home,"  said  he,  "  but  if  you  will  leave 
your  letter  and  return  to-morrow  early,  I  shall  be  able 
to  inform  you  whether  and  when  he  can  receive  your 
visit.     Would  you  like  to  leave  your  box  ?  "  he  added. 

"Dearly,"  cried  Silas;  and  the  next  moment  he  re- 
pented his  precipitation,  and  declared,  with  equal  em- 
phasis, that  he  would  rather  carry  the  box  along  with 
him  to  the  hotel. 

The  crowd  jeered  at  his  indecision  and  followed  him 
to  the  carriage  with  insulting  remarks ;  and  Silas,  cov- 
ered with  shame  and  terror,  implored  the  servants  to  con- 

67 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

duct  him  to  some  quiet  and  comfortable  house  of  enter- 
tainment in  the  immediate  neighbourhood. 

The  Prince's  equipage  deposited  Silas  at  the  Craven 
Hotel  in  Craven  Street,  and  immediately  drove  away, 
leaving  him  alone  with  the  servants  of  the  inn.  The 
only  vacant  room,  it  appeared,  was  a  little  den  up  four 
pairs  of  stairs,  and  looking  towards  the  back.  To  this 
hermitage,  with  infinite  trouble  and  complaint,  a  pair 
of  stout  porters  carried  the  Saratoga  trunk.  It  is  need- 
less to  mention  that  Silas  kept  closely  at  their  heels 
throughout  the  ascent,  and  had  his  heart  in  his  mouth 
at  every  corner.  A  single  false  step,  he  reflected,  and 
the  box  might  go  over  the  banisters  and  land  its  fatal 
contents,  plainly  discovered,  on  the  pavement  of  the  hall. 

Arrived  in  the  room,  he  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  his 
bed  to  recover  from  the  agony  that  he  had  just  endured ; 
but  he  had  hardly  taken  his  position  when  he  was  re- 
called to  a  sense  of  his  peril  by  the  action  of  the  boots, 
who  had  knelt  beside  the  trunk,  and  was  proceeding 
officiously  to  undo  its  elaborate  fastenings. 

"  Let  it  be!  "  cried  Silas.  "  I  shall  want  nothing  from 
it  while  I  stay  here." 

"You  might  have  let  it  lie  in  the  hall,  then,"  growled 
the  man ;  "  a  thing  as  big  and  heavy  as  a  church.  What 
you  have  inside,  I  cannot  fancy.  If  it  is  all  money,  you 
are  a  richer  man  than  me." 

"Money  ?"  repeated  Silas,  in  a  sudden  perturbation. 
14  What  do  you  mean  by  money  ?  I  have  no  money,  and 
you  are  speaking  like  a  fool." 

"All  right,  Captain,"  retorted  the  boots  with  a  wink. 
"There's  nobody  will  touch  your  lordship's  money. 
I'm  as  safe  as  the  bank,"  he  added;  "but  as  the  box  is 

68 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

heavy,  I  shouldn't  mind  drinking  something  to  your 
lordship's  health." 

Silas  pressed  two  Napoleons  upon  his  acceptance, 
apologising,  at  the  same  time,  for  being  obliged  to 
trouble  him  with  foreign  money,  and  pleading  his  re- 
cent arrival  for  excuse.  And  the  man,  grumbling  with 
even  greater  fervour,  and  looking  contemptuously  from 
the  money  in  his  hand  to  the  Saratoga  trunk  and  back 
again  from  the  one  to  the  other,  at  last  consented  to 
withdraw. 

For  nearly  two  days  the  dead  body  had  been  packed 
into  Silas's  box ;  and  as  soon  as  he  was  alone  the  unfor- 
tunate New-Englander  nosed  all  the  cracks  and  openings 
with  the  most  passionate  attention.  But  the  weather 
was  cool,  and  the  trunk  still  managed  to  contain  his 
shocking  secret. 

He  took  a  chair  beside  it,  and  buried  his  face  in  his 
hands,  and  his  mind  in  the  most  profound  reflection. 
If  he  were  not  speedily  relieved,  no  question  but  he 
must  be  speedily  discovered.  Alone  in  a  strange  city, 
without  friends  or  accomplices,  if  the  Doctor's  intro- 
duction failed  him,  he  was  indubitably  a  lost  New- 
Englander.  He  reflected  pathetically  over  his  ambitious 
designs  for  the  future ;  he  should  not  now  become  the 
hero  and  spokesman  of  his  native  place  of  Bangor, 
Maine;  he  should  not,  as  he  had  fondly  anticipated, 
move  on  from  office  to  office,  from  honour  to  honour;  he 
might  as  well  divest  himself  at  once  of  all  hope  of  being 
acclaimed  President  of  the  United  States,  and  leaving 
behind  him  a  statue,  in  the  worst  possible  style  of  art, 
to  adorn  the  Capitol  at  Washington.  Here  he  was, 
chained  to  a  dead  Englishman  doubled  up  inside  a  Sara- 

69 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

toga  trunk ;  whom  he  must  get  rid  of,  or  perish  from 
the  rolls  of  national  glory ! 

I  should  be  afraid  to  chronicle  the  language  employed 
by  this  young  man  to  the  Doctor,  to  the  murdered  man, 
to  Madame  Zephyrine,  to  the  boots  of  the  hotel,  to  the 
Prince's  servants,  and,  in  a  word,  to  all  who  had  been 
ever  so  remotely  connected  with  his  horrible  misfortune. 

He  slunk  down  to  dinner  about  seven  at  night;  but 
the  yellow  coffee-room  appalled  him,  the  eyes  of  the 
other  diners  seemed  to  rest  on  his  with  suspicion,  and 
his  mind  remained  upstairs  with  the  Saratoga  trunk. 
When  the  waiter  came  to  offer  him  cheese,  his  nerves 
were  already  so  much  on  edge  that  he  leaped  half-way 
out  of  his  chair  and  upset  the  remainder  of  a  pint  of  ale 
upon  the  table-cloth. 

The  fellow  offered  to  show  him  the  smoking-room 
when  he  had  done;  and  although  he  would  have  much 
preferred  to  return  at  once  to  his  perilous  treasure,  he 
had  not  the  courage  to  refuse,  and  was  shown  down- 
stairs to  the  black,  gas-lit  cellar,  which  formed,  and  pos- 
sibly still  forms,  the  divan  of  the  Craven  Hotel. 

Two  very  sad  betting  men  were  playing  billiards, 
attended  by  a  moist,  consumptive  marker;  and  for 
the  moment  Silas  imagined  that  these  were  the  only 
occupants  of  the  apartment.  But  at  the  next  glance 
his  eye  fell  upon  a  person  smoking  in  the  farthest  cor- 
ner, with  lowered  eyes  and  a  most  respectable  and 
modest  aspect.  He  knew  at  once  that  he  had  seen  the 
face  before  ;  and  in  spite  of  the  entire  change  of 
clothes,  recognised  the  man  whom  he  had  found  seated 
on  a  post  at  the  entrance  to  Box  Court,  and  who  had 
helped  him  to  carry  the  trunk  to  and  from  the  carriage. 

70 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB 

The  New-Englander  simply  turned  and  ran,  nor  did  he 
pause  until  he  had  locked  and  bolted  himself  into  his 
bedroom. 

There,  all  night  long,  a  prey  to  the  most  terrible  im- 
aginations, he  watched  beside  the  fatal  boxful  of  dead 
flesh.  The  suggestion  of  the  boots  that  his  trunk 
was  full  of  gold  inspired  him  with  all  manner  of  new 
terrors,  if  he  so  much  as  dared  to  close  an  eye;  and  the 
presence  in  the  smoking-room,  and  under  an  obvious  dis- 
guise, of  the  loiterer  from  Box  Court  convinced  him  that 
he  was  once  more  the  centre  of  obscure  machination. 

Midnight  had  sounded  some  time,  when,  impelled 
by  uneasy  suspicions,  Silas  opened  his  bedroom  door 
and  peered  into  the  passage.  It  was  dimly  illuminated 
by  a  single  jet.  of  gas;  and  some  distance  off  he  per- 
ceived a  man  sleeping  on  the  floor  in  the  costume  of  an 
hotel  under-servant.  Silas  drew  near  the  man  on  tip- 
toe. He  lay  partly  on  his  back,  partly  on  his  side,  and 
his  right  forearm  concealed  his  face  from  recognition. 
Suddenly,  while  the  American  was  still  bending  over 
him,  the  sleeper  removed  his  arm  and  opened  his  eyes, 
and  Silas  found  himself  once  more  face  to  face  with  the 
loiterer  of  Box  Court. 

"Good  night,  sir,"  said  the  man,  pleasantly. 

But  Silas  was  too  profoundly  moved  to  find  an  an- 
swer, and  regained  his  room  in  silence. 

Towards  morning,  worn  out  by  apprehension,  he  fell 
asleep  on  his  chair,  with  his  head  forward  on  the  trunk. 
In  spite  of  so  constrained  an  attitude  and  such  a  grisly 
pillow,  his  slumber  was  sound  and  prolonged,  and  he 
was  only  awakened  at  a  late  hour  and  by  a  sharp  tap- 
ping at  the  door. 

J! 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

He  hurried  to  open,  and  found  the  boots  without. 

"You  are  the  gentleman  who  called  yesterday  at  Box 
Court  ?  "  he  asked. 

Silas,  with  a  quaver,  admitted  that  he  had  done  so. 

"Then  this  note  is  for  you,"  added  the  servant,  prof- 
fering a  sealed  envelope. 

Silas  tore  it  open,  and  found  inside  the  words : ' '  Twelve 
o'clock." 

He  was  punctual  to  the  hour;  the  trunk  was  carried 
before  him  by  several  stout  servants ;  and  he  was  him- 
self ushered  into  a  room,  where  a  man  sat  warming  him- 
self before  the  fire  with  his  back  towards  the  door.  The 
sound  of  so  many  persons  entering  and  leaving,  and  the 
scraping  of  the  trunk  as  it  was  deposited  upon  the  bare 
boards,  were  alike  unable  to  attract  the  notice  of  the 
occupant;  and  Silas  stood  waiting,  in  an  agony  of  fear, 
until  he  should  deign  to  recognise  his  presence. 

Perhaps  five  minutes  had  elapsed  before  the  man 
turned  leisurely  about,  and  disclosed  the  features  of 
Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia. 

"So,  sir,"  he  said  with  great  severity,  "this  is  the 
manner  in  which  you  abuse  my  politeness.  You  join 
yourselves  to  persons  of  condition,  I  perceive,  for  no 
other  purpose  than  to  escape  the  consequences  of  your 
crimes ;  and  I  can  readily  understand  your  embarrass- 
ment when  I  addressed  myself  to  you  yesterday." 

"Indeed,"  cried  Silas,  "I  am  innocent  of  everything 
except  misfortune." 

And  in  a  hurried  voice,  and  with  the  greatest  ingen- 
uousness, he  recounted  to  the  Prince  the  whole  history 
of  his  calamity. 

'*'■!  see  I  have  been  mistaken,"  said  his  Highness, 

72 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

when  he  had  heard  him  to  an  end.  "  You  are  no  other 
than  a  victim,  and  since  I  am  not  to  punish  you,  you 
may  be  sure  I  shall  do  my  utmost  to  help.  And  now," 
he  continued,  "to  business.  Open  your  box  at  once, 
and  let  me  see  what  it  contains." 

Silas  changed  colour. 

"  I  almost  fear  to  look  upon  it,"  he  exclaimed. 

"Nay,"  replied  the  Prince,  "have  you  not  looked  at 
it  already  ?  This  is  a  form  of  sentimentality  to  be  re- 
sisted. The  sight  of  a  sick  man,  whom  we  can  still 
help,  should  appeal  more  directly  to  the  feelings  than 
that  of  a  dead  man  who  is  equally  beyond  help  or  harm, 
love  or  hatred.  Nerve  yourself,  Mr.  Scuddamore, "  and 
then,  seeing  that  Silas  still  hesitated,  "  I  do  not  desire  to 
give  another  name  to  my  request,"  he  added. 

The  young  American  awoke  as  if  out  of  a  dream,  and 
with  a  shiver  of  repugnance  addressed  himself  to  loose 
the  straps  and  open  the  lock  of  the  Saratoga  trunk.  The 
Prince  stood  by,  watching  with  a  composed  countenance 
and  his  hands  behind  his  back.  The  body  was  quite 
stiff,  and  it  cost  Silas  a  great  effort,  both  moral  and 
physical,  to  dislodge  it  from  its  position,  and  discover 
the  face. 

Prince  Florizel  started  back  with  an  exclamation  of 
painful  surprise. 

"Alas!  "  he  cried,  "you  little  know,  Mr.  Scuddamore, 
what  a  cruel  gift  you  have  brought  me.  This  is  a  young 
man  of  my  own  suite,  the  brother  of  my  trusted  friend ; 
and  it  was  upon  matters  of  my  own  service  that  he  has 
thus  perished  at  the  hands  of  violent  and  treacherous 
men.  Poor  Geraldine,"  he  went  on,  as  if  to  himself, 
'■  in  what  words  am  I  to  tell  you  of  your  brother's  fate  ? 

73 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

How  can  I  excuse  myself  in  your  eyes,  or  in  the  eyes  o\ 
God,  for  the  presumptuous  schemes  that  led  him  to  this 
bloody  and  unnatural  death?  Ah,  Florizel!  Florizel! 
when  will  you  learn  the  discretion  that  suits  mortal  life, 
and  be  no  longer  dazzled  with  the  image  of  power  at 
your  disposal  ?  Power!  "  he  cried ;  "who  is  more  pow- 
erless ?  I  look  upon  this  young  man  whom  I  have  sac- 
rificed, Mr.  Scuddamore,  and  feel  how  small  a  thing  it 
is  to  be  a  Prince." 

Silas  was  moved  at  the  sight  of  his  emotion.  He  tried 
to  murmur  some  consolatory  words,  and  burst  into 
tears.  The  Prince,  touched  by  his  obvious  intention, 
came  up  to  him  and  took  him  by  the  hand. 

"Command  yourself,"  said  he.  "We  have  both 
much  to  learn,  and  we  shall  both  be  better  men  for 
to-day's  meeting." 

Silas  thanked  him  in  silence,  with  an  affectionate 
look. 

"  Write  me  the  address  of  Doctor  Noel  on  this  piece 
of  paper,"  continued  the  Prince,  leading  him  towards 
the  table;  "and  let  me  recommend  you,  when  you  are 
again  in  Paris,  to  avoid  the  society  of  that  dangerous 
man.  He  has  acted  in  this  matter  on  a  generous  inspi- 
ration; that  I  must  believe;  had  he  been  privy  to  young 
Geraldine's  death  he  would  never  have  despatched  the 
body  to  the  care  of  the  actual  criminal." 

"The  actual  criminal!"  repeated  Silas  in  astonish- 
ment. 

"  Even  so," returned  the  Prince.  "This  letter,  which 
the  disposition  of  Almighty  Providence  has  so  strangelv 
delivered  into  my  hands,  was  addressed  to  no  less  a  per- 
son than  the  criminal  himself,  the  infamous  President  of 

74 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

the  Suicide  Club.  Seek  to  pry  no  further  in  these  peri- 
lous affairs,  but  content  yourself  with  your  own  miracu- 
lous escape,  and  leave  this  house  at  once.  I  have  press- 
ing affairs,  and  must  arrange  at  once  about  this  poor 
clay,  which  was  so  lately  a  gallant  and  handsome  youth. " 
Silas  took  a  grateful  and  submissive  leave  of  Prince 
Florizel,  but  he  lingered  in  Box  Court  until  he  saw  him 
depart  in  a  splendid  carriage  on  a  visit  to  Colonel  Hen- 
derson, of  the  police.  Republican  as  he  was,  the  young 
American  took  off  his  hat  with  almost  a  sentiment  of 
devotion  to  the  retreating  carriage.  And  the  same  night 
he  started  by  rail  on  his  return  to  Paris. 

Here  (observes  my  Arabian  Author)  is  the  end  of  The 
History  of  the  Physician  and  the  Saratoga  Trunk. 
Omitting  some  reflections  on  the  power  of  Providence, 
highly  pertinent  in  the  original,  but  little  suited  to  our 
occidental  taste,  I  shall  only  add  that  Mr.  Scuddamore 
has  already  begun  to  mount  the  ladder  of  political  fame, 
and  by  last  advices  was  the  Sheriff  of  his  native  town. 


n 


THE  ADVENTURE  OF  THE  HANSOM  CAB 

Lieutenant  Brackenbury  Rich  had  greatly  distin- 
guished himself  in  one  of  the  lesser  Indian  hill  wars. 
He  it  was  who  took  the  chieftain  prisoner  with  his  own 
hand ;  his  gallantry  was  universally  applauded ;  and 
when  he  came  home,  prostrated  by  an  ugly  sabre  cut 
and  a  protracted  jungle  fever,  society  was  prepared  to 
welcome  the  Lieutenant  as  a  celebrity  of  minor  lustre. 
But  his  was  a  character  remarkable  for  unaffected  mod- 
esty ;  adventure  was  dear  to  his  heart,  but  he  cared  little 
for  adulation ;  and  he  waited  at  foreign  watering-places 
and  in  Algiers  until  the  fame  of  his  exploits  had  run 
through  its  nine  days'  vitality  and  begun  to  be  forgotten. 
He  arrived  in  London  at  last,  in  the  early  season,  with 
as  little  observation  as  he  could  desire ;  and  as  he  was 
an  orphan  and  had  none  but  distant  relatives  who  lived 
in  the  provinces,  it  was  almost  as  a  foreigner  that  he  in- 
stalled himself  in  the  capital  of  the  country  for  which  he 
had  shed  his  blood. 

On  the  day  following  his  arrival  he  dined  alone  at  a 
military  club.  He  shook  hands  with  a  few  old  com- 
rades, and  received  their  congratulations;  but  as  one 
and  all  had  some  engagement  for  the  evening,  he  found 
himself  left  entirely  to  his  own  resources.     He  was  in 

76 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

dress,  for  he  had  entertained  the  notion  of  visiting  a 
theater.  But  the  great  city  was  new  to  him ;  he  had 
gone  from  a  provincial  school  to  a  military  college,  and 
thence  direct  to  the  Eastern  Empire;  and  he  promised 
himself  a  variety  of  delights  in  this  world  for  explora- 
tion. Swinging  his  cane,  he  took  his  way  westward. 
It  was  a  mild  evening,  already  dark,  and  now  and  then 
threatening  rain.  The  succession  of  faces  in  the  lamp- 
light stirred  the  Lieutenant's  imagination ;  and  it  seemed 
to  him  as  if  he  could  walk  for  ever  in  that  stimulating 
city  atmosphere  and  surrounded  by  the  mystery  of  four 
million  private  lives.  He  glanced  at  the  houses,  and 
marvelled  what  was  passing  behind  those  warmly- 
lighted  windows ;  he  looked  into  face  after  face,  and 
saw  them  each  intent  upon  some  unknown  interest, 
criminal  or  kindly. 

"They  talk  of  war,"  he  thought,  "but  this  is  the 
great  battlefield  of  mankind." 

And  then  he  began  to  wonder  that  he  should  walk  so 
long  in  this  complicated  scene,  and  not  chance  upon  so 
much  as  the  shadow  of  an  adventure  for  himself. 

"All  in  good  time,"  he  reflected.  "I  am  still  a 
stranger,  and  perhaps  wear  a  strange  air.  But  I  must 
be  drawn  into  the  eddy  before  long." 

The  night  was  already  well  advanced,  when  a  plump 
of  cold  rain  fell  suddenly  out  of  the  darkness.  Bracken- 
bury  paused  under  some  trees,  and  as  he  did  so  he 
caught  sight  of  a  hansom  cabman  making  him  a  sign  that 
he  was  disengaged.  The  circumstance  fell  in  so  happily 
to  the  occasion  that  he  at  once  raised  his  cane  in  answer, 
and  had  soon  ensconced  himself  in  the  London  gondola. 

"Where  to,  sir?"  asked  the  driver. 

77 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

"  Where  you  please,"  said  Brackenbury. 

And  immediately,  at  a  pace  of  surprising  swiftness, 
the  hansom  drove  ofT  through  the  rain  into  a  maze  of 
villas.  One  villa  was  so  like  another,  each  with  its  front 
garden,  and  there  was  so  little  to  distinguish  the  de- 
serted lamp-lit  streets  and  crescents  through  which  the 
flying  hansom  took  its  way,  that  Brackenbury  soon  lost 
all  idea  of  direction.  He  would  have  been  contented  to 
believe  that  the  cabman  was  amusing  himself  by  driv- 
ing him  round  and  round  and  in  and  out  about  a  small 
quarter,  but  there  was  something  businesslike  in  the 
speed  which  convinced  him  of  the  contrary.  The  man 
had  an  object  in  view,  he  was  hastening  towards  a  defi- 
nite end ;  and  Brackenbury  was  at  once  astonished  at 
the  fellow's  skill  in  picking  a  way  through  such  a  laby- 
rinth, and  a  little  concerned  to  imagine  what  was  the 
occasion  of  his  hurry.  He  had  heard  tales  of  strangers 
falling  ill  in  London.  Did  the  driver  belong  to  some 
bloody  and  treacherous  association  ?  and  was  he  him- 
self being  whirled  to  a  murderous  death  ? 

The  thought  had  scarcely  presented  itself,  when  the 
cab  swung  sharply  round  a  corner  and  pulled  up  before 
the  garden  gate  of  a  villa  in  a  long  and  wide  road.  The 
house  was  brilliantly  lighted  up.  Another  hansom  had 
just  driven  away,  and  Brackenbury  could  see  a  gentle- 
man being  admitted  at  the  front  door  and  received  by 
several  liveried  servants.  He  was  surprised  that  the 
cabman  should  have  stopped  so  immediately  in  front  of 
a  house  where  a  reception  was  being  held;  but  he  did 
not  doubt  it  was  the  result  of  accident,  and  sat  placidly 
smoking  where  he  was,  until  he  heard  the  trap  thrown 
open  over  his  head. 

78 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB 

"Here  we  are,  sir,"  said  the  driver. 

"  Here ! "  repeated  Brackenbury.     ' '  Where  ?  " 

"You  told  me  to  take  you  where  I  pleased,  sir,"  re- 
turned the  man  with  a  chuckle,  "and  here  we  are." 

It  struck  Brackenbury  that  the  voice  was  wonderfully 
smooth  and  courteous  for  a  man  in  so  inferior  a  position ; 
he  remembered  the  speed  at  which  he  had  been  driven ; 
and  now  it  occurred  to  him  that  the  hansom  was  more 
luxuriously  appointed  than  the  common  run  of  public 
conveyances. 

"I  must  ask  you  to  explain,"  said  he.  "Do  you 
mean  to  turn  me  out  into  the  rain  ?  My  good  man,  I 
suspect  the  choice  is  mine." 

"The  choice  is  certainly  yours,"  replied  the  driver; 
"but  when  I  tell  you  all,  I  believe  I  know  how  a  gen- 
tleman of  your  figure  will  decide.  There  is  a  gentle- 
men's party  in  this  house.  I  do  not  know  whether  the 
master  be  a  stranger  to  London  and  without  acquain- 
tances of  his  own ;  or  whether  he  is  a  man  of  odd  notions. 
But  certainly  I  was  hired  to  kidnap  single  gentlemen  in 
evening  dress,  as  many  as  I  pleased,  but  military  offi- 
cers by  preference.  You  have  simply  to  go  in  and  say 
that  Mr.  Morris  invited  you." 

"Are  you  Mr.  Morris  ?"  inquired  the  Lieutenant. 

"Oh,  no,"  replied  the  cabman.  "Mr.  Morris  is  the 
person  of  the  house." 

"  It  is  not  a  common  way  of  collecting  guests,"  said 
Brackenbury;  "but  an  eccentric  man  might  very  well 
indulge  the  whim  without  any  intention  to  offend. 
And  suppose  that  I  refuse  Mr.  Morris's  invitation,"  he 
went  on,  "  what  then  ?  " 

"My  orders  are  to  drive  you  back  where  I  took  you 

79 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

from,"  replied  the  man,  "and  set  out  to  look  for  others 
up  to  midnight.  Those  who  have  no  fancy  for  such  an 
adventure,  Mr.  Morris  said,  were  not  the  guests  for  him." 

These  words  decided  the  Lieutenant  on  the  spot. 

' '  After  all, "  he  reflected,  as  he  descended  from  the  han- 
som, ' '  I  have  not  had  long  to  wait  for  my  adventure. " 

He  had  hardly  found  footing  on  the  side-walk,  and 
was  still  feeling  in  his  pocket  for  the  fare,  when  the  cab 
swung  about  and  drove  off  by  the  way  it  came  at  the 
former  break-neck  velocity.  Brackenbury  shouted  after 
the  man,  who  paid  no  heed,  and  continued  to  drive 
away ;  but  the  sound  of  his  voice  was  overheard  in  the 
house,  the  door  was  again  thrown  open,  emitting  a 
flood  of  light  upon  the  garden,  and  a  servant  ran  down 
to  meet  him  holding  an  umbrella. 

"The  cabman  has  been  paid,"  observed  the  servant 
in  a  very  civil  tone ;  and  he  proceeded  to  escort  Brack- 
enbury along  the  path  and  up  the  steps.  In  the  hall 
several  other  attendants  relieved  him  of  his  hat,  cane, 
and  paletot,  gave  him  a  ticket  with  a  number  in  return, 
and  politely  hurried  him  up  a  stair  adorned  with  tropical 
flowers,  to  the  door  of  an  apartment  on  the  first  story. 
Here  a  grave  butler  inquired  his  name,  and  announcing 
"Lieutenant  Brackenbury  Rich,"  ushered  him  into  the 
drawing-room  of  the  house. 

A  young  man,  slender  and  singularly  handsome,  came 
forward  and  greeted  him  with  an  air  at  once  courtly  and 
affectionate.  Hundreds  of  candles,  of  the  finest  wax,  lit 
up  a  room  that  was  perfumed,  like  the  staircase,  with  a 
profusion  of  rare  and  beautiful  flowering  shrubs.  A 
side-table  was  loaded  with  tempting  viands.  Several 
servants  went  to  and  fro  with  fruits  and  goblets  of  cham- 

80 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

pagne.  The  company  was  perhaps  sixteen  in  number, 
all  men,  few  beyond  the  prime  of  life,  and  with  hardly 
an  exception,  of  a  dashing  and  capable  exterior.  They 
were  divided  into  two  groups,  one  about  a  roulette 
board,  and  the  other  surrounding  a  table  at  which  one 
of  their  number  held  a  bank  of  baccarat. 

"I  see,"  thought  Brackenbury,  "I  am  in  a  private 
gambling  saloon,  and  the  cabman  was  a  tout." 

His  eye  had  embraced  the  details,  and  his  mind  formed 
the  conclusion,  while  his  host  was  still  holding  him 
by  the  hand ;  and  to  him  his  looks  returned  from  this 
rapid  survey.  At  a  second  view  Mr.  Morris  surprised 
him  still  more  than  on  the  first.  The  easy  elegance 
of  his  manners,  the  distinction,  amiability,  and  -courage 
that  appeared  upon  his  features,  fitted  very  ill  with  the 
Lieutenant's  preconceptions  on  the  subject  of  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  hell ;  and  the  tone  of  his  conversation  seemed 
to  mark  him  out  for  a  man  of  position  and  merit. 
Brackenbury  found  he  had  an  instinctive  liking  for  his 
entertainer;  and  though  he  chid  himself  for  the  weak- 
ness he  was  unable  to  resist  a  sort  of  friendly  attraction 
for  Mr.  Morris's  person  and  character. 

"I  have  heard  of  you,  Lieutenant  Rich,"  said  Mr. 
Morris,  lowering  his  tone;  "and  believe  me  I  am  grati- 
fied to  make  your  acquaintance.  Your  looks  accord 
with  the  reputation  that  has  preceded  you  from  India. 
And  if  you  will  forget  for  a  while  the  irregularity  of 
your  presentation  in  my  house,  I  shall  feel  it  not  only 
an  honour,  but  genuine  pleasure  besides.  A  man  who 
makes  a  mouthful  of  barbarian  cavaliers,"  he  added 
with  a  laugh,  "should  not  be  appalled  by  a  breach  of 
etiquette,  however  serious." 

81 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

And  he  led  him  towards  the  sideboard  and  pressed  him 
to  partake  of  some  refreshments. 

"Upon  my  word,"  the  Lieutenant  reflected,  "this  is 
one  of  the  pleasantest  fellows  and,  I  do  not  doubt,  one 
of  the  most  agreeable  societies  in  London." 

He  partook  of  some  champagne,  which  he  found  ex- 
cellent; and  observing  that  many  of  the  company  were 
already  smoking,  he  lit  one  of  his  own  Manillas,  and 
strolled  up  to  the  roulette  board,  where  he  sometimes 
made  a  stake  and  sometimes  looked  on  smilingly  on 
the  fortune  of  others.  It  was  while  he  was  thus  idling 
that  he  became  aware  of  a  sharp  scrutiny  to  which  the 
whole  of  the  guests  were  subjected.  Mr.  Morris  went 
here  and  there,  ostensibly  busied  on  hospitable  concerns; 
but  he  had  ever  a  shrewd  glance  at  disposal ;  not  a  man 
of  the  party  escaped  his  sudden,  searching  looks;  he 
took  stock  of  the  bearing  of  heavy  losers,  he  valued  the 
amount  of  the  stakes,  he  paused  behind  couples  who 
were  deep  in  conversation ;  and,  in  a  word,  there  was 
hardly  a  characteristic  of  anyone  present  but  he  seemed 
to  catch  and  make  a  note  of  it.  Brackenbury  began  to 
wonder  if  this  were  indeed  a  gambling  hell :  it  had  so 
much  the  air  of  a  private  inquisition.  He  followed  Mr. 
Morris  in  all  his  movements ;  and  although  the  man  had 
a  ready  smile,  he  seemed  to  perceive,  as  it  were  under 
a  mask,  a  haggard,  careworn,  and  preoccupied  spirit. 
The  fellows  around  him  laughed  and  made  their  game; 
but  Brackenbury  had  lost  interest  in  the  guests. 

"This  Morris,"  thought  he,  "is  no  idler  in  the  room. 
Some  deep  purpose  inspires  him;  let  it  be  mine  to 
fathom  it." 

Now  and  then  Mr.  Morris  would  call  one  of  his  visi- 
82 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB 

tors  aside ;  and  after  a  brief  colloquy  in  an  ante-room, 
he  would  return  alone,  and  the  visitors  in  question  re- 
appeared no  more.  After  a  certain  number  of  repeti- 
tions, this  performance  excited  Brackenbury's  curiosity 
to  a  high  degree.  He  determined  to  be  at  the  bottom 
of  this  minor  mystery  at  once ;  and  strolling  into  the 
ante-room,  found  a  deep  window  recess  concealed  by 
curtains  of  the  fashionable  green.  Here  he  hurriedly 
ensconced  himself;  nor  had  he  to  wait  long  before  the 
sound  of  steps  and  voices  drew  near  him  from  the  prin- 
cipal apartment.  Peering  through  the  division,  he  saw 
Mr.  Morris  escorting  a  fat  and  ruddy  personage,  with 
somewhat  the  look  of  a  commercial  traveller,  whom 
Brackenbury  had  already  remarked  for  his  coarse  laugh 
and  under-bred  behaviour  at  the  table.  The  pair  halted 
immediately  before  the  window,  so  that  Brackenbury 
lost  not  a  word  of  the  following  discourse : 

14 1  beg  you  a  thousand  pardons  !  "  began  Mr.  Morris, 
with  the  most  conciliatory  manner;  "and,  if  I  appear 
rude,  I  am  sure  you  will  readily  forgive  me.  In  a  place 
so  great  as  London  accidents  must  continually  happen; 
and  the  best  that  we  can  hope  is  to  remedy  them  with 
as  small  delay  as  possible.  I  will  not  deny  that  I  fear 
you  have  made  a  mistake  and  honoured  my  poor  house 
by  inadvertence;  for,  to  speak  openly,  I  cannot  at  all 
remember  your  appearance.  Let  me  put  the  question 
without  unnecessary  circumlocution  —  between  gentle- 
men of  honour  a  word  will  suffice — Under  whose  roof 
do  you  suppose  yourself  to  be  ?" 

"That  of  Mr.  Morris,"  replied  the  other,  with  a  pro- 
digious display  of  confusion,  which  had  been  visibly 
growing  upon  him  throughout  the  last  few  words. 

83 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

"  Mr.  John  or  Mr.  James  Morris  ?  "  inquired  the  host. 

"I  really  cannot  tell  you,"  returned  the  unfortunate 
guest.  "  I  am  not  personally  acquainted  with  the  gen- 
tlemen, any  more  than  I  am  with  yourself." 

"I  see,"  said  Mr.  Morris.  "  There  is  another  person 
of  the  same  name  farther  down  the  street;  and  I  have 
no  doubt  the  policeman  will  be  able  to  supply  you  with 
his  number.  Believe  me,  I  felicitate  myself  on  the  mis- 
understanding which  has  procured  me  the  pleasure  of 
your  company  for  so  long;  and  let  me  express  a  hope 
that  we  may  meet  again  upon  a  more  regular  footing. 
Meantime,  I  would  not  for  the  world  detain  you  longer 
from  your  friends.  John,"  he  added,  raising  his  voice, 
"  will  you  see  that  the  gentleman  finds  his  great-coat  ?  " 

And  with  the  most  agreeable  air  Mr.  Morris  escorted 
his  visitor  as  far  as  the  ante-room  door,  where  he  left 
him  under  conduct  of  the  butler.  As  he  passed  the 
window,  on  his  return  to  the  drawing-room,  Bracken- 
bury  could  hear  him  utter  a  profound  sigh,  as  though 
his  mind  was  loaded  with  a  great  anxiety,  and  his  nerves 
already  fatigued  with  the  task  on  which  he  was  en- 
gaged. 

For  perhaps  an  hour  the  hansoms  kept  arriving  with 
such  frequency,  that  Mr.  Morris  had  to  receive  a  new 
guest  for  every  old  one  that  he  sent  away,  and  the  com- 
pany preserved  its  number  undiminished.  But  towards 
the  end  of  that  time  the  arrivals  grew  few  and  far  be- 
tween, and  at  length  ceased  entirely,  while  the  process 
of  elimination  was  continued  with  unimpaired  activity. 
The  drawing-room  began  to  look  empty :  the  baccarat 
was  discontinued  for  lack  of  a  banker;  more  than  one 
person  said  good-night  of  his  own  accord,  and  was 

84 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

suffered  to  depart  without  expostulation:  and  in  the 
meanwhile  Mr.  Morris  redoubled  in  agreeable  attentions 
to  those  who  stayed  behind.  He  went  from  group  to 
group  and  from  person  to  person  with  looks  of  the 
readiest  sympathy  and  the  most  pertinent  and  pleasing 
talk;  he  was  not  so  much  like  a  host  as  like  a  hostess, 
and  there  was  a  feminine  coquetry  and  condescension 
in  his  manner  which  charmed  the  hearts  of  all. 

As  the  guests  grew  thinner,  Lieutenant  Rich  strolled 
for  a  moment  out  of  the  drawing-room  into  the  hall  in 
quest  of  fresher  air.  But  he  had  no  sooner  passed  the 
threshold  of  the  ante-chamber  than  he  was  brought  to 
a  dead  halt  by  a  discovery  of  the  most  surprising  na- 
ture. The  flowering  shrubs  had  disappeared  from  the 
staircase;  three  large  furniture  wagons  stood  before 
the  garden  gate;  the  servants  were  busy  dismantling 
the  house  upon  all  sides ;  and  some  of  them  had  already 
donned  their  great-coats  and  were  preparing  to  depart. 
It  was  like  the  end  of  a  country  ball,  where  everything 
has  been  supplied  by  contract.  Brackenbury  had  in- 
deed some  matter  for  reflection.  First,  the  guests,  who 
were  no  real  guests  after  all,  had  been  dismissed;  and 
now  the  servants,  who  could  hardly  be  genuine  servants, 
were  actively  dispersing. 

"  Was  the  whole  establishment  a  sham  ?"  he  asked 
himself.  "The  mushroom  of  a  single  night  which 
should  disappear  before  morning?" 

Watching  a  favourable  opportunity,  Brackenbury 
dashed  upstairs  to  the  higher  regions  of  the  house.  It 
was  as  he  had  expected.  He  ran  from  room  to  room, 
and  saw  not  a  stick  of  furniture  nor  so  much  as  a  pic- 
ture on  the  walls.    Although  the  house  had  been  painted 

85 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

and  papered,  it  was  not  only  uninhabited  at  present,  but 
plainly  had  never  been  inhabited  at  all.  The  young  offi- 
cer remembered  with  astonishment  its  specious,  settled, 
and  hospitable  air  on  his  arrival.  It  was  only  at  a  pro- 
digious cost  that  the  imposture  could  have  been  carried 
out  upon  so  great  a  scale. 

Who,  then,  was  Mr.  Morris  ?  What  was  his  inten- 
tion in  thus  playing  the  householder  for  a  single  night 
in  the  remote  west  of  London  ?  And  why  did  he  col- 
lect his  visitors  at  hazard  from  the  streets  ? 

Brackenbury  remembered  that  he  had  already  delayed 
too  long,  and  hastened  to  join  the  company.  Many  had 
left  during  his  absence;  and  counting  the  Lieutenant  and 
his  host,  there  were  not  more  than  five  persons  in  the 
drawing-room  —  recently  so  thronged.  Mr.  Morris 
greeted  him,  as  he  re-entered  the  apartment,  with  a 
smile,  and  immediately  rose  to  his  feet. 

' '  It  is  now  time,  gentlemen, "  said  he,  ' '  to  explain  my 
purpose  in  decoying  you  from  your  amusements.  I  trust 
you  did  not  find  the  evening  hang  very  dully  on  your 
hands ;  but  my  object,  I  will  confess  it,  was  not  to  en- 
tertain your  leisure,  but  to  help  myself  in  an  unfortunate 
necessity.  You  are  all  gentlemen,"  he  continued,  "your 
appearance  does  you  that  much  justice,  and  I  ask  for  no 
better  security.  Hence,  I  speak  it  without  concealment 
I  ask  you  to  render  me  a  dangerous  and  delicate  service ; 
dangerous  because  you  may  run  the  hazard  of  your  lives, 
and  delicate  because  I  must  ask  an  absolute  discretion 
upon  all  that  you  shall  see  or  hear.  From  an  utter 
stranger  the  request  is  almost  comically  extravagant;  I 
am  well  aware  of  this;  and  I  would  add  at  once,  if 
there  be  anyone  present  who  has  heard  enough,  if  there 

86 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB 

be  one  among  the  party  who  recoils  from  a  dangerous 
confidence  and  a  piece  of  Quixotic  devotion  to  he  knows 
not  whom  —  here  is  my  hand  ready,  and  I  shall  wish 
him  good-night  and  God-speed,  with  all  the  sincerity 
in  the  world." 

A  very  tall,  black  man,  with  a  heavy  stoop,  immedi- 
ately responded  to  this  appeal. 

"I  commend  your  frankness,  sir,"  said  he;  "and, 
for  my  part,  I  go.  I  make  no  reflections ;  but  I  cannot 
deny  that  you  fill  me  with  suspicious  thoughts.  I  go 
myself,  as  I  say ;  and  perhaps  you  will  think  I  have  no 
right  to  add  words  to  my  example." 

"On  the  contrary,"  replied  Mr.  Morris,  "  I  am  obliged 
to  you  for  all  you  say.  It  would  be  impossible  to  ex- 
aggerate the  gravity  of  my  proposal." 

"Well,  gentlemen,  what  do  you  say?"  said  the  tall 
man,  addressing  the  others.  ' '  We  have  had  our  even- 
ing's frolic ;  shall  we  go  homeward  peaceably  in  a  body  ? 
You  will  think  well  of  my  suggestion  in  the  morning, 
when  you  see  the  sun  again  in  innocence  and  safety." 

The  speaker  pronounced  the  last  words  with  an  in- 
tonation which  added  to  their  force ;  and  his  face  wore 
a  singular  expression,  full  of  gravity  and  significance. 
Another  of  the  company  rose  hastily,  and,  with  some 
appearance  of  alarm,  prepared  to  take  his  leave.  There 
were  only  two  who  held  their  ground,  Brackenbury  and 
an  old  red-nosed  cavalry  Major ;  but  these  two  preserved 
a  nonchalant  demeanour,  and,  beyond  a  look  of  intelli- 
gence which  they  rapidly  exchanged,  appeared  entirely 
foreign  to  the  discussion  that  had  just  been  terminated. 

Mr.  Morris  conducted  the  deserters  as  far  as  the  door, 
which  he  closed  upon  their  heels;  then  he  turned  round 

87 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

disclosing  a  countenance  of  mingled  relief  and  anima- 
tion, and  addressed  the  two  officers  as  follows : 

"I  have  chosen  my  men  like  Joshua  in  the  Bible," 
said  Mr.  Morris,  "and  I  now  believe  I  have  the  pick  of 
London.  Your  appearance  pleased  my  hansom  cab- 
men ;  then  it  delighted  me ;  I  have  watched  your  be- 
haviour in  a  strange  company,  and  under  the  most  un- 
usual circumstances:  I  have  studied  how  you  played 
and  how  you  bore  your  losses ;  lastly,  I  have  put  you  to 
the  test  of  a  staggering  announcement,  and  you  received 
it  like  an  invitation  to  dinner.  It  is  not  for  nothing,"  he 
cried,  "that  I  have  been  for  years  the  companion  and  the 
pupil  of  the  bravest  and  wisest  potentate  in  Europe." 

"At  the  affair  of  Bunderchang,"  observed  the  Major, 
"I  asked  for  twelve  volunteers,  and  every  trooper  in 
the  ranks  replied  to  my  appeal.  But  a  gaming  party  is 
not  the  same  thing  as  a  regiment  under  fire.  You  may 
be  pleased,  I  suppose,  to  have  found  two,  and  two  who 
will  not  fail  you  at  a  push.  As  for  the  pair  who  ran 
away,  I  count  them  among  the  most  pitiful  hounds  I 
ever  met  with.  Lieutenant  Rich,"  he  added,  address- 
ing Brackenbury,  "I  have  heard  much  of  you  of  late; 
and  I  cannot  doubt  but  you  have  also  heard  of  me.  I 
am  Major  O'Rooke." 

And  the  veteran  tendered  his  hand,  which  was  red 
and  tremulous,  to  the  young  Lieutenant. 

"Who  has  not?"  answered  Brackenbury. 

"When  this  little  matter  is  settled,"  said  Mr.  Morris, 
"you  will  think  I  have  sufficiently  rewarded  you;  for  I 
could  offer  neither  a  more  valuable  service  than  to  make 
him  acquainted  with  the  other." 

"And  now,"  said  Major  O'Rooke,  "is  it  a  duel?" 

88 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

"A  duel  after  a  fashion,"  replied  Mr.  Morris,  "a  duel 
with  unknown  and  dangerous  enemies,  and,  as  I  gravely 
fear,  a  duel  to  the  death.  I  must  ask  you,"  he  contin- 
ued, "to  call  me  Morris  no  longer:  call  me,  if  you  please, 
Hammersmith;  my  real  name,  as  well  as  that  of  another 
person  to  whom  I  hope  to  present  you  before  long,  you 
will  gratify  me  by  not  asking  and  not  seeking  to  dis- 
cover for  yourselves.  Three  days  ago  the  person  of 
whom  I  speak  disappeared  suddenly  from  home;  and, 
until  this  morning,  I  received  no  hint  of  his  situation. 
You  will  fancy  my  alarm  when  I  tell  you  that  he  is  en- 
gaged upon  a  work  of  private  justice.  Bound  by  an 
unhappy  oath,  too  lightly  sworn,  he  finds  it  necessary, 
without  the  help  of  law,  to  rid  the  earth  of  an  insidious 
and  bloody  villain.  Already  two  of  our  friends,  and 
one  of  them  my  own  born  brother,  have  perished  in  the 
enterprise.  He  himself,  or  I  am  much  deceived,  is  taken 
in  the  same  fatal  toils.  But  at  least  he  still  lives  and 
still  hopes,  as  this  billet  sufficiently  proves." 

And  the  speaker,  no  other  than  Colonel  Geraldine, 
proffered  a  letter,  thus  conceived : 

"  Major  Hammersmith, —  On  Wednesday,  at  3  a.  m., 
you  will  be  admitted  by  the  small  door  to  the  gardens 
of  Rochester  House,  Regent's  Park,  by  a  man  who  is 
entirely  in  my  interest.  I  must  request  you  not  to  fail 
me  by  a  second.  Pray  bring  my  case  of  swords,  and, 
if  you  can  find  them,  one  or  two  gentlemen  of  conduct 
and  discretion  to  whom  my  person  is  unknown.  My 
name  must  not  be  used  in  this  affair. 

"T.  GODALL." 

"From  his  wisdom  alone,  if  he  had  no  other  title," 
pursued  Colonel  Geraldine,  when  the  others  had  each 

89 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

satisfied  his  curiosity,  "my  friend  is  a  man  whose  di- 
rections should  implicitly  be  followed.  I  need  not 
tell  you,  therefore,  that  I  have  not  so  much  as  visited 
the  neighbourhood  of  Rochester  House ;  and  that  I  am 
still  as  wholly  in  the  dark  as  either  of  yourselves  as  to 
the  nature  of  my  friend's  dilemma.  I  betook  myself,  as 
soon  as  I  had  received  this  order,  to  a  furnishing  con- 
tractor, and,  in  a  few  hours,  the  house  in  which  we 
now  are  had  assumed  its  late  air  of  festival.  My  scheme 
was  at  least  original;  and  I  am  far  from  regretting  an 
action  which  has  procured  me  the  services  of  Major 
O'Rooke  and  Lieutenant  Brackenbury  Rich.  But  the 
servants  in  the  street  will  have  a  strange  awakening. 
The  house  which  this  evening  was  full  of  lights  and  vis- 
itors they  will  find  uninhabited  and  for  sale  to-morrow 
morning.  Thus  even  the  most  serious  concerns, "  added 
the  Colonel,  "  have  a  merry  side." 

"And  let  us  add  a  merry  ending,"  said  Brackenbury. 

The  Colonel  consulted  his  watch. 

"It  is  now  hard  on  two,"  he  said.  "We  have  an 
hour  before  us,  and  a  swift  cab  is  at  the  door.  Tell  me 
if  I  may  count  upon  your  help." 

"During  a  long  life,"  replied  Major  O'Rooke,  "I 
never  took  back  my  hand  from  anything,  nor  so  much 
as  hedged  a  bet." 

Brackenbury  signified  his  readiness  in  the  most  be- 
coming terms ;  and  after  they  had  drunk  a  glass  or  two 
of  wine,  the  Colonel  gave  each  of  them  a  loaded  re- 
volver, and  the  three  mounted  into  the  cab  and  drove 
off  for  the  address  in  question. 

Rochester  House  was  a  magnificent  residence  on  the 
banks  of  the  canal.     The  large  extent  of  the  garden 

90 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB 

isolated  it  in  an  unusual  degree  from  the  annoyances  of 
neighbourhood.  It  seemed  the  pare  aux  cerfs  of  some 
great  nobleman  or  millionaire.  As  far  as  could  be  seen 
from  the  street,  there  was  not  a  glimmer  of  light  in  any 
of  the  numerous  windows  of  the  mansion;  and  the 
place  had  a  look  of  neglect,  as  though  the  master  had 
been  long  from  home. 

The  cab  was  discharged,  and  the  three  gentlemen 
were  not  long  in  discovering  the  small  door,  which 
was  a  sort  of  postern  in  a  lane  between  two  garden 
walls.  It  still  wanted  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  of  the 
appointed  time ;  the  rain  fell  heavily,  and  the  adventu- 
rers sheltered  themselves  below  some  pendent  ivy,  and 
spoke  in  low  tones  of  the  approaching  trial. 

Suddenly  Geraldine  raised  his  finger  to  command 
silence,  and  all  three  bent  their  hearing  to  the  ut- 
most. Through  the  continuous  noise  of  the  rain,  the 
steps  and  voices  of  two  men  became  audible  from  the 
other  side  of  the  wall ;  and,  as  they  drew  nearer, 
Brackenbury,  whose  sense  of  hearing  was  remarkably 
acute,  could  even  distinguish  some  fragments  of  their 
talk. 

**  Is  the  grave  dug  ?"  asked  one. 

"It  is,"  replied  the  other;  "behind  the  laurel  hedge. 
When  the  job  is  done,  we  can  cover  it  with  a  pile  of 
stakes." 

The  first  speaker  laughed,  and  the  sound  of  his  merri- 
ment was  shocking  to  the  listeners  on  the  other  side. 

"  In  an  hour  from  now,"  he  said. 

And  by  the  sounds  of  the  steps  it  was  obvious  that 
the  pair  had  separated,  and  were  proceeding  in  contrary 
directions. 

9> 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

Almost  immediately  after  the  postern  door  was  cau- 
tiously opened,  a  white  face  was  protruded  into  the 
lane,  and  a  hand  was  seen  beckoning  to  the  watchers. 
In  dead  silence  the  three  passed  the  door,  which  was 
immediately  locked  behind  them,  and  followed  their 
guide  through  several  garden  alleys  to  the  kitchen  en- 
trance of  the  house.  A  single  candle  burned  in  the  great 
paved  kitchen,  which  was  destitute  of  the  customary  fur- 
niture ;  and  as  the  party  proceeded  to  ascend  from  thence 
by  a  flight  of  winding  stairs,  a  prodigious  noise  of  rats 
testified  still  more  plainly  to  the  dilapidation  of  the 
house. 

Their  conductor  preceded  them,  carrying  the  candle. 
He  was  a  lean  man,  much  bent,  but  still  agile;  and  he 
turned  from  time  to  time  and  admonished  silence  and 
caution  by  his  gestures.  Colonel  Geraldine  followed 
on  his  heels,  the  case  of  swords  under  one  arm,  and  a 
pistol  ready  in  the  other.  Brackenbury's  heart  beat 
thickly.  He  perceived  that  they  were  still  in  time ;  but 
he  judged  from  the  alacrity  of  the  old  man  that  the  hour 
of  action  must  be  near  at  hand ;  the  circumstances  of 
this  adventure  were  so  obscure  and  menacing,  the  place 
seemed  so  well  chosen  for  the  darkest  acts,  that  an  older 
man  than  Brackenbury  might  have  been  pardoned  a 
measure  of  emotion  as  he  closed  the  procession  up  the 
winding  stair. 

At  the  top  the  guide  threw  open  a  door  and  ushered 
the  three  officers  before  him  into  a  small  apartment, 
lighted  by  a  smoky  lamp  and  the  glow  of  a  modest  fire. 
At  the  chimney  corner  sat  a  man  in  the  early  prime  of 
life,  and  of  a  stout  but  courtly  and  commanding  appear- 
ance.    His  attitude  and  expression  were  those  of  the 

92 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB 

most  unmoved  composure ;  he  was  smoking  a  cheroot 
with  much  enjoyment  and  deliberation,  and  on  a  table  by 
his  elbow  stood  a  long  glass  of  some  effervescing  bever- 
age, which  diffused  an  agreeable  odour  through  the  room. 

"Welcome,"  said  he,  extending  his  hand  to  Colonel 
Geraldine.     "  I  knew  I  might  count  on  your  exactitude. " 

"On  my  devotion,"  replied  the  Colonel,  with  a  bow. 

"  Present  me  to  your  friends, "  continued  the  first;  and, 
when  that  ceremony  had  been  performed,  "  I  wish,  gen- 
tlemen," he  added,  with  the  most  exquisite  affability, 
"that  I  could  offer  you  a  more  cheerful  programme;  it 
is  ungracious  to  inaugurate  an  acquaintance  upon  serious 
affairs;  but  the  compulsion  of  events  is  stronger  than 
the  obligations  of  good-fellowship.  I  hope  and  believe 
you  will  be  able  to  forgive  me  this  unpleasant  evening; 
and  for  men  of  your  stamp  it  will  be  enough  to  know 
that  you  are  conferring  a  considerable  favour. " 

"  Your  Highness,"  said  the  Major,  "must  pardon  my 
bluntness.  I  am  unable  to  hide  what  I  know.  For  some 
time  back  I  have  suspected  Major  Hammersmith,  but 
Mr.  Godall  is  unmistakable.  To  seek  two  men  in  Lon- 
don unacquainted  with  Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia  was 
to  ask  too  much  at  Fortune's  hands." 

"  Prince  Florizel!  "  cried  Brackenbury  in  amazement. 

And  he  gazed  with  the  deepest  interest  on  the  features 
of  the  celebrated  personage  before  him. 

"I  shall  not  lament  the  loss  of  my  incognito,"  re- 
marked the  Prince,  "for  it  enables  me  to  thank  you  with 
the  more  authority.  You  would  have  done  as  much  for 
Mr.  Godall,  I  feel  sure,  as  for  the  Prince  of  Bohemia ;  but 
the  latter  can  perhaps  do  more  for  you.  The  gain  is 
mine,"  he  added,  with  a  courteous  gesture. 

93 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

And  the  next  moment  he  was  conversing  with  the 
two  officers  about  the  Indian  army  and  the  native 
troops,  a  subject  on  which,  as  on  all  others,  he  had  a 
remarkable  fund  of  information  and  the  soundest  views. 

There  was  something  so  striking  in  this  man's  attitude 
at  a  moment  of  deadly  peril  that  Brackenbury  was  over- 
come with  respectful  admiration ;  nor  was  he  less  sen- 
sible to  the  charm  of  his  conversation  or  the  surprising 
amenity  of  his  address.  Every  gesture,  every  intona- 
tion, was  not  only  noble  in  itself,  but  seemed  to  ennoble 
the  fortunate  mortal  for  whom  it  was  intended;  and 
Brackenbury  confessed  to  himself  with  enthusiasm  that 
this  was  a  sovereign  for  whom  a  brave  man  might  thank- 
fully lay  down  his  life. 

Many  minutes  had  thus  passed,  when  the  person 
who  had  introduced  them  into  the  house,  and  who 
had  sat  ever  since  in  a  corner,  and  with  his  watch  in 
his  hand,  arose  and  whispered  a  word  into  the  Prince's 
ear. 

"  It  is  well,  Dr.  Noel, "  replied  Florizel,  aloud ;  and  then 
addressing  the  others,  "You  will  excuse  me,  gentle- 
men," he  added,  "if  I  have  to  leave  you  in  the  dark. 
The  moment  now  approaches." 

Dr.  Noel  extinguished  the  lamp.  A  faint,  gray  light, 
premonitory  of  the  dawn,  illuminated  the  window,  but 
was  not  sufficient  to  illuminate  the  room ;  and  when  the 
Prince  rose  to  his  feet,  it  was  impossible  to  distinguish 
his  features  or  to  make  a  guess  at  the  nature  of  the  emo- 
tion which  obviously  affected  him  as  he  spoke.  He 
moved  towards  the  door,  and  placed  himself  at  one  side 
of  it  in  an  attitude  of  the  wariest  attention. 

"You  will  have  the  kindness,"  he  said,  "to  maintain 

94 


THE   SUICIDE   CLUB 

the  strictest  silence,  and  to  conceal  yourselves  in  the 
densest  of  the  shadow." 

The  three  officers  and  the  physician  hastened  to  obey, 
and  for  nearly  ten  minutes  the  only  sound  in  Rochester 
House  was  occasioned  by  the  excursions  of  the  rats  be- 
hind the  woodwork.  At  the  end  of  that  period,  a  loud 
creak  of  a  hinge  broke  in  with  surprising  distinctness 
on  the  silence;  and  shortly  after,  the  watchers  could 
distinguish  a  slow  and  cautious  tread  approaching  up 
the  kitchen  stair.  At  every  second  step  the  intruder 
seemed  to  pause  and  lend  an  ear,  and  during  these  in- 
tervals, which  seemed  of  an  incalculable  duration,  a 
profound  disquiet  possessed  the  spirit  of  the  listeners. 
Dr.  Noel,  accustomed  as  he  was  to  dangerous  emotions, 
suffered  an  almost  pitiful  physical  prostration ;  his  breath 
whistled  in  his  lungs,  his  teeth  grated  one  upon  an- 
other, and  his  joints  cracked  aloud  as  he  nervously  shifted 
his  position. 

At  last  a  hand  was  laid  upon  the  door,  and  the  bolt 
shot  back  with  a  slight  report.  There  followed  another 
pause,  during  which  Brackenbury  could  see  the  Prince 
draw  himself  together  noiselessly  as  if  for  some  unusual 
exertion.  Then  the  door  opened,  letting  in  a  little  more 
of  the  light  of  the  morning;  and  the  figure  of  a  man  ap- 
peared upon  the  threshold  and  stood  motionless.  He 
was  tall,  and  carried  a  knife  in  his  hand.  Even  in  the 
twilight  they  could  see  his  upper  teeth  bare  and  glisten- 
ing, for  his  mouth  was  open  like  that  of  a  hound  about 
to  leap.  The  man  had  evidently  been  over  the  head  in 
water  but  a  minute  or  two  before;  and  even  while  he 
stood  there  the  drops  kept  falling  from  his  wet  clothes 
and  pattered  on  the  floor. 

95 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

The  next  moment  he  crossed  the  threshold.  There 
was  a  leap,  a  stifled  cry,  an  instantaneous  struggle ;  and 
before  Colonel  Geraldine  could  spring  to  his  aid,  the 
Prince  held  the  man,  disarmed  and  helpless,  by  the 
shoulders. 

"Dr.  Noel, ' '  he  said,  '  *  you  will  be  so  good  as  to  relight 
the  lamp." 

And  relinquishing  the  charge  of  his  prisoner  to  Ger- 
aldine and  Brackenbury,  he  crossed  the  room  and  set 
his  back  against  the  chimney-piece.  As  soon  as  the 
lamp  had  kindled,  the  party  beheld  an  unaccustomed 
sternness  on  the  Prince's  features.  It  was  no  longer 
Florizel,  the  careless  gentleman;  it  was  the  Prince  of 
Bohemia,  justly  incensed  and  full  of  deadly  purpose,  who 
now  raised  his  head  and  addressed  the  captive  President 
of  the  Suicide  Club. 

'*  President,"  he  said,  "you  have  laid  your  last  snare, 
and  your  own  feet  are  taken  in  it.  The  day  is  begin- 
ning; it  is  your  last  morning.  You  have  just  swum  the 
Regent's  Canal ;  it  is  your  last  bathe  in  this  world.  Your 
old  accomplice,  Dr.  Noel,  so  far  from  betraying  me,  has 
delivered  you  into  my  hands  for  judgment.  And  the 
grave  you  had  dug  for  me  this  afternoon  shall  serve,  in 
God's  almighty  providence,  to  hide  your  own  just  doom 
from  the  curiosity  of  mankind.  Kneel  and  pray,  sir,  if 
you  have  a  mind  that  way ;  for  your  time  is  short,  and 
God  is  weary  of  your  iniquities." 

The  President  made  no  answer  either  by  word  or  sign ; 
but  continued  to  hang  his  head  and  gaze  sullenly  on  the 
floor,  as  though  he  were  conscious  of  the  Prince's  pro- 
longed and  unsparing  regard. 

"Gentlemen,"  continued  Florizel,  resuming  the  ordi- 

96 


THE   SUICIDE   CLUB 

nary  tone  of  his  conversation,  "  this  is  a  fellow  who  has 
long  eluded  me,  but  whom,  thanks  to  Dr.  Noel,  I  now 
have  tightly  by  the  heels.  To  tell  the  story  of  his  mis- 
deeds would  occupy  more  time  than  we  can  now  af- 
ford ;  but  if  the  canal  had  contained  nothing  but  the 
blood  of  his  victims,  I  believe  the  wretch  would  have 
been  no  drier  than  you  see  him.  Even  in  an  affair  of 
this  sort  I  desire  to  preserve  the  forms  of  honour.  But  I 
make  you  the  judges,  gentlemen  —  this  is  more  an  ex- 
ecution than  a  duel;  and  to  give  the  rogue  his  choice 
of  weapons  would  be  to  push  too  far  a  point  of  etiquette. 
1  cannot  afford  to  lose  my  life  in  such  a  business,"  he 
continued,  unlocking  the  case  of  swords;  "and  as  a 
pistol-bullet  travels  so  often  on  the  wings  of  chance, 
and  skill  and  courage  may  fall  by  the  most  trembling 
marksman,  I  have  decided,  and  I  feel  sure  you  will  ap- 
prove my  determination,  to  put  this  question  to  the 
touch  of  swords." 

When  Brackenbury  and  Major  O'Rooke,  to  whom 
these  remarks  were  particularly  addressed,  had  each  in- 
timated his  approval,  "Quick,  sir,"  added  Prince  Florizel 
to  the  President,  "choose  a  blade  and  do  not  keep  me 
waiting;  I  have  an  impatience  to  be  done  with  you  for 
ever." 

For  the  first  time  since  he  was  captured  and  disarmed 
the  President  raised  his  head,  and  it  was  plain  that  he 
began  instantly  to  pluck  up  courage. 

"Is  it  to  be  stand  up?"  he  asked  eagerly,  "and  be- 
tween you  and  me?" 

"  I  mean  so  far  to  honour  you,"  replied  the  Prince. 

1 '  Oh,  come !  "  cried  the  President.  ' '  With  a  fair  field, 
who  knows  how  things  may  happen  ?    I  must  add  that 

9; 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

I  consider  it  handsome  behaviour  on  your  Highness's 
part;  and  if  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst  I  shall  die  by 
one  of  the  most  gallant  gentlemen  in  Europe." 

And  the  President,  liberated  by  those  who  had  de- 
tained him,  stepped  up  to  the  table  and  began,  with 
minute  attention,  to  select  a  sword.  He  was  highly 
elated,  and  seemed  to  feel  no  doubt  that  he  should  issue 
victorious  from  the  contest.  The  spectators  grew  alarmed 
in  the  face  of  so  entire  a  confidence,  and  adjured  Prince 
Florizel  to  reconsider  his  intention. 

" It  is  but  a  farce,"  he  answered;  "and  I  think  I  can 
promise  you,  gentlemen,  that  it  will  not  be  long  a- 
playing." 

"Your  Highness  will  be  careful  not  to  overreach," 
said  Colonel  Geraldine. 

"Geraldine,"  returned  the  Prince,  "did  you  ever 
know  me  fail  in  a  debt  of  honour?  I  owe  you  this 
man's  death,  and  you  shall  have  it." 

The  President  at  last  satisfied  himself  with  one  of  the 
rapiers,  and  signified  his  readiness  by  a  gesture  that  was 
not  devoid  of  a  rude  nobility.  The  nearness  of  peril, 
and  the  sense  of  courage,  even  to  this  obnoxious  villain, 
lent  an  air  of  manhood  and  a  certain  grace. 

The  Prince  helped  himself  at  random  to  a  sword. 

"Colonel  Geraldine  and  Doctor  Noel,"  he  said,  "  will 
have  the  goodness  to  await  me  in  this  room.  I  wish  no 
personal  friend  of  mine  to  be  involved  in  this  transaction. 
Major  O'Rooke,  you  are  a  man  of  some  years  and  a  settled 
reputation  —  let  me  recommend  the  President  to  your 
good  graces.  Lieutenant  Rich  will  be  so  good  as  to  lend 
me  his  attentions:  a  young  man  cannot  have  too  much 
experience  in  such  affairs." 

98 


THE  SUICIDE  CLUB 

"Your  Highness,"  replied  Brackenbury,  "it  is  an 
honour  I  shall  prize  extremely." 

"It  is  well,"  returned  Prince  Florizel;  "I  shall  hope 
to  stand  your  friend  in  more  important  circumstances." 

And  so  saying  he  led  the  way  out  of  the  apartment 
and  down  the  kitchen  stairs. 

The  two  men  who  were  thus  left  alone  threw  open 
the  window  and  leaned  out,  straining  every  sense  to 
catch  an  indication  of  the  tragical  events  that  were  about 
to  follow.  The  rain  was  now  over;  day  had  almost 
come,  and  the  birds  were  piping  in  the  shrubbery  and 
on  the  forest  trees  of  the  garden.  The  Prince  and  his 
companions  were  visible  for  a  moment  as  they  followed 
an  alley  between  two  flowering  thickets;  but  at  the  first 
corner  a  clump  of  foliage  intervened,  and  they  were 
again  concealed  from  view.  This  was  all  the  Col- 
onel and  the  physician  had  an  opportunity  to  see,  and 
the  garden  was  so  vast,  and  the  place  of  combat  evi- 
dently so  remote  from  the  house,  that  not  even  the  noise 
of  sword-play  reached  their  ears. 

"He  has  taken  him  towards  the  grave,"  said  Dr. 
Noel,  with  a  shudder. 

"God,"  cried  the  Colonel,  "God  defend  the  right!" 

And  they  awaited  the  event  in  silence,  the  Doctor 
shaking  with  fear,  the  Colonel  in  an  agony  of  sweat. 
Many  minutes  must  have  elapsed,  the  day  was  sensibly 
broader,  and  the  birds  were  singing  more  heartily  in  the 
garden  before  a  sound  of  returning  footsteps  recalled  their 
glances  towards  the  door.  It  was  the  Prince  and  the  two 
Indian  officers  who  entered.   God  had  defended  the  right. 

"I  am  ashamed  of  my  emotion,"  said  Prince  Florizel; 
"  I  feel  it  a  weakness  unworthy  of  my  station,  but  the 

99 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

continued  existence  of  that  hound  of  hell  had  begun  to 
play  upon  me  like  a  disease,  and  his  death  has  more  re- 
freshed me  than  a  night  of  slumber.  Look,  Geraldine," 
he  continued,  throwing  his  sword  upon  the  floor,  "there 
is  the  blood  of  the  man  who  killed  your  brother.  It 
should  be  a  welcome  sight.  And  yet,"  he  added,  "  see 
how  strangely  we  men  are  made!  my  revenge  is  not 
yet  five  minutes  old,  and  already  I  am  beginning  to  ask 
myself  if  even  revenge  be  attainable  on  this  precarious 
stage  of  life.  The  ill  he  did,  who  can  undo  it  ?  The 
career  in  which  he  amassed  a  huge  fortune  (for  the  house 
itself  in  which  he  stayed  belonged  to  him) — that  career 
is  now  a  part  of  the  destiny  of  mankind  forever;  and  I 
might  weary  myself  making  thrusts  in  carte  until  the 
crack  of  judgment,  and  Geraldine's  brother  would  be 
none  the  less  dead,  and  a  thousand  other  innocent  per- 
sons would  be  none  the  less  dishonoured  and  debauched ! 
The  existence  of  a  man  is  so  small  a  thing  to  take,  so 
mighty  a  thing  to  employ!  Alas! "  he  cried,  "  is  there 
anything  in  life  so  disenchanting  as  attainment  ?  " 

"God's  justice  has  been  done,"  replied  the  Doctor. 
"So  much  I  behold.  The  lesson,  your  Highness,  has 
been  a  cruel  one  for  me ;  and  I  await  my  own  turn  with 
deadly  apprehension." 

"What  was  I  saying?"  cried  the  Prince.  "I  have 
punished,  and  here  is  the  man  beside  us  who  can  help 
me  to  undo.  Ah,  Dr.  Noel!  you  and  I  have  before  us 
many  a  day  of  hard  and  honourable  toil ;  and  perhaps, 
before  we  have  done,  you  may  have  more  than  re- 
deemed your  early  errors." 

"And  in  the  meantime,"  said  the  Doctor,  "let  me  go 
and  bury  my  oldest  friend." 


THE  SUICIDE   CLUB 

(And  this,  observes  the  erudite  Arabian,  is  the  fortu- 
nate conclusion  of  the  tale.  The  Prince,  it  is  superfluous 
to  mention,  forgot  none  of  those  who  served  him  in  this 
great  exploit;  and  to  this  day  his  authority  and  influence 
help  them  forward  in  their  public  career,  while  his  con- 
descending friendship  adds  a  charm  to  their  private  life. 
To  collecl,  continues  the  author,  all  the  strange  events  in 
which  this  Prince  has  played  the  part  of  Providence  were 
to  fill  the  habitable  globe  with  books.  But  the  stories 
which  relate  to  the  fortunes  o/The  Rajah's  Diamond  are 
of  too  entertaining  a  description,  says  he,  to  be  omitted. 
Following  prudently  in  the  footsteps  of  this  Oriental,  we 
shall  now  begin  the  series  to  which  he  refers  with  the 
Story  of  the  Bandbox.) 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND 


STORY  OF  THE  BANDBOX 

UP  to  the  age  of  sixteen,  at  a  private  school  and  af- 
terwards at  one  of  those  great  institutions  for  which 
England  is  justly  famous,  Mr.  Harry  Hartley  had  re- 
ceived the  ordinary  education  of  a  gentleman.  At  that 
period,  he  manifested  a  remarkable  distaste  for  study; 
and  his  only  surviving  parent  being  both  weak  and  ig- 
norant, he  was  permitted  thenceforward  to  spend  his 
time  in  the  attainment  of  petty  and  purely  elegant  ac- 
complishments. Two  years  later,  he  was  left  an  orphan 
and  almost  a  beggar.  For  all  active  and  industrious 
pursuits,  Harry  was  unfitted  alike  by  nature  and  train- 
ing. He  could  sing  romantic  ditties,  and  accompany 
himself  with  discretion  on  the  piano ;  he  was  a  graceful 
although  a  timid  cavalier;  he  had  a  pronounced  taste 
for  chess ;  and  nature  had  sent  him  into  the  world  with 
one  of' the  most  engaging  exteriors  that  can  well  be 
fancied.  Blond  and  pink,  with  dove's  eyes  and  a  gen- 
tle smile,  he  had  an  air  of  agreeable  tenderness  and 
melancholy,  and  the  most  submissive  and  caressing 
manners.  But  when  all  is  said,  he  was  not  the  man  to 
lead  armaments  of  war,  or  direct  the  councils  of  a  State. 
A  fortunate  chance  and  some  influence  obtained  for 
Harry,  at  the  time  of  his  bereavement,  the  position  of 

105 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

private  secretary  to  Major-General  Sir  Thomas  Vande- 
leur,  C.  B.  Sir  Thomas  was  a  man  of  sixty,  loud-spoken, 
boisterous,  and  domineering.  For  some  reason,  some 
service  the  nature  of  which  had  been  often  whispered 
and  repeatedly  denied,  the  Rajah  of  Kashgar  had  pre- 
sented this  officer  with  the  sixth  known  diamond  of 
the  world.  The  gift  transformed  General  Vandeleur 
from  a  poor  into  a  wealthy  man,  from  an  obscure  and 
unpopular  soldier  into  one  of  the  lions  of  London  soci- 
ety ;  the  possessor  of  the  Rajah's  Diamond  was  welcome 
in  the  most  exclusive  circles ;  and  he  had  found  a  lady, 
young,  beautiful,  and  well-born,  who  was  willing  to 
call  the  diamond  hers  even  at  the  price  of  marriage  with 
Sir  Thomas  Vandeleur.  It  was  commonly  said  at  the 
time  that,  as  like  draws  to  like,  one  jewel  had  attracted 
another;  certainly  Lady  Vandeleur  was  not  only  a  gem 
of  the  finest  water  in  her  own  person,  but  she  showed 
herself  to  the  world  in  a  very  costly  setting;  and  she 
was  considered  by  many  respectable  authorities,  as  one 
among  the  three  or  four  best  dressed  women  in  England. 

Harry's  duty  as  secretary  was  not  particularly  onerous ; 
but  he  had  a  dislike  for  all  prolonged  work ;  it  gave  him 
pain  to  ink  his  fingers ;  and  the  charms  of  Lady  Vande- 
leur and  her  toilettes  drew  him  often  from  the  library  to 
the  boudoir.  He  had  the  prettiest  ways  among  women, 
could  talk  fashions  with  enjoyment,  and  was  never  more 
happy  than  when  criticising  a  shade  of  ribbon,  or  run- 
ning on  an  errand  to  the  milliner's.  In  short,  Sir  Thomas's 
correspondence  fell  into  pitiful  arrears,  and  my  Lady  had 
another  lady's  maid. 

At  last  the  General,  who  was  one  of  the  least  patient 
of  military  commanders,  arose  from  his  place  in  a  violent 

106 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

excess  of  passion,  and  indicated  to  his  secretary  that  he 
had  no  further  use  for  his  services,  with  one  of  those 
explanatory  gestures  which  are  most  rarely  employed 
between  gentlemen.  The  door  being  unfortunately  open, 
Mr.  Hartley  fell  down-stairs  head  foremost. 

He  arose  somewhat  hurt  and  very  deeply  aggrieved. 
The  life  in  the  General's  house  precisely  suited  him ;  he 
moved,  on  a  more  or  less  doubtful  footing,  in  very  gen- 
teel company,  he  did  little,  he  ate  of  the  best,  and  he 
had  a  lukewarm  satisfaction  in  the  presence  of  Lady 
Vandeleur,  which,  in  his  own  heart,  he  dubbed  by  a 
more  emphatic  name. 

Immediately  after  he  had  been  outraged  by  the  mili- 
tary foot,  he  hurried  to  the  boudoir  and  recounted  his 
sorrows. 

"  You  know  very  well,  my  dear  Harry,"  replied  Lady 
Vandeleur,  for  she  called  him  by  name  like  a  child  or  a 
domestic  servant,  "that  you  never  by  any  chance  do 
what  the  General  tells  you.  No  more  do  I,  you  may 
say.  But  that  is  different.  A  woman  can  earn  her 
pardon  for  a  good  year  of  disobedience  by  a  single  adroit 
submission ;  and,  besides,  no  one  is  married  to  his  pri- 
vate secretary.  I  shall  be  sorry  to  lose  you,  but  since 
you  cannot  stay  longer  in  a  house  where  you  have  been 
insulted,  I  shall  wish  you  good-bye,  and  I  promise  you 
to  make  the  General  smart  for  his  behaviour." 

Harry's  countenance  fell ;  tears  came  into  his  eyes,  and 
he  gazed  on  Lady  Vandeleur  with  a  tender  reproach. 

"My  Lady,"  said  he.  "what  is  an  insult?  I  should 
think  little  indeed  of  anyone  who  could  not  forgive  them 
by  the  score.     But  to  leave  one's  friends;  to  tear  up  the 

bonds  of  affection " 

107 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

He  was  unable  to  continue,  for  his  emotion  choked 
him,  and  he  began  to  weep. 

Lady  Vandeleur  looked  at  him  with  a  curious  expres- 
sion. 

"  This  little  fool,"  she  thought,  "  imagines  himself  to 
be  in  love  with  me.  Why  should  he  not  become  my 
servant  instead  of  the  General's  ?  He  is  good-natured, 
obliging,  and  understands  dress;  and  besides  it  will 
keep  him  out  of  mischief.  He  is  positively  too  pretty 
to  be  unattached." 

That  night  she  talked  over  the  General,  who  was  already 
somewhat  ashamed  of  his  vivacity;  and  Harry  was 
transferred  to  the  feminine  department,  where  his  life  was 
little  short  of  heavenly.  He  was  always  dressed  with 
uncommon  nicety,  wore  delicate  flowers  in  his  button- 
hole, and  could  entertain  a  visitor  with  tact  and  pleas- 
antry. He  took  a  pride  in  servility  to  a  beautiful  woman ; 
received  Lady  Vandeleur's  commands  as  so  many  marks 
of  favour;  and  was  pleased  to  exhibit  himself  before 
other  men,  who  derided  and  despised  him,  in  his  char- 
acter of  male  lady's-maid  and  man  milliner.  Nor  could 
he  think  enough  of  his  existence  from  a  moral  point 
of  view.  Wickedness  seemed  to  him  an  essentially 
male  attribute,  and  to  pass  one's  days  with  a  delicate 
woman,  and  principally  occupied  about  trimmings, 
was  to  inhabit  an  enchanted  isle  among  the  storms 
of  life. 

One  fine  morning  he  came  into  the  drawing-room 
and  began  to  arrange  some  music  on  the  top  of  the 
piano.  Lady  Vandeleur,  at  the  other  end  of  the  apart- 
ment, was  speaking  somewhat  eagerly  with  her  brother, 
Charlie  Pendragon,  an  elderly  young  man,  much  broken 

108 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

with  dissipation,  and  very  lame  of  one  foot.  The  pri- 
vate secretary,  to  whose  entrance  they  paid  no  regard, 
could  not  avoid  overhearing  a  part  of  their  conversa- 
tion. 

"  To-day  or  never,  "said  the  lady.  "Once  and  for  all, 
it  shall  be  done  to-day." 

"To-day,  if  it  must  be,"  replied  the  brother,  with  a 
sigh.  "  But  it  is  a  false  step,  a  ruinous  step,  Clara;  and 
we  shall  live  to  repent  it  dismally." 

Lady  Vandeleur  looked  her  brother  steadily  and  some- 
what strangely  in  the  face. 

"You  forget,"  she  said;  "the  man  must  die  at  last." 

"  Upon  my  word,  Clara,"  said  Pendragon,  "  I  believe 
you  are  the  most  heartless  rascal  in  England." 

"You  men,"  she  returned,  "are  so  coarsely  built, 
that  you  can  never  appreciate  a  shade  of  meaning.  You 
are  yourselves  rapacious,  violent,  immodest,  careless  of 
distinction;  and  yet  the  least  thought  for  the  future 
shocks  you  in  a  woman.  I  have  no  patience  with  such 
stuff.  You  would  despise  in  a  common  banker  the  im- 
becility that  you  expect  to  find  in  us." 

"You  are  very  likely  right,"  replied  her  brother; 
"you  were  always  cleverer  than  I.  And,  anyway,  you 
know  my  motto:  the  family  before  all." 

"Yes,  Charlie,"  she  returned,  taking  his  hand  in  hers, 
1 '  I  know  your  motto  better  than  you  know  it  yourself. 
And  '  Clara  before  the  family ! '  Is  not  that  the  second 
part  of  it  ?  Indeed,  you  are  the  best  of  brothers,  and  I 
love  you  dearly." 

Mr.  Pendragon  got  up,  looking  a  little  confused  by 
these  family  endearments. 

" I  had  better  not  be  seen,"  said  he.  "I  understand 
1109 


NEW  ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

my  part  to  a  miracle,  and  I'll  keep  an  eye  on  the  Tame 
Cat." 

"Do,"  she  replied.  "He  is  an  abject  creature,  and 
might  ruin  all." 

She  kissed  the  tips  of  her  fingers  to  him  daintily;  and 
the  brother  withdrew  by  the  boudoir  and  the  back  stair. 

"Harry,"  said  Lady  Vandeleur,  turning  towards  the 
secretary  as  soon  as  they  were  alone.  "I  have  a  com- 
mission for  you  this  morning.  But  you  shall  take  a  cab  ; 
I  cannot  have  my  secretary  freckled." 

She  spoke  the  last  words  with  emphasis  and  a  look 
of  half-motherly  pride  that  caused  great  contentment  to 
poor  Harry ;  and  he  professed  himself  charmed  to  find 
an  opportunity  of  serving  her. 

"It  is  another  of  our  great  secrets,"  she  went  on, 
archly,  "  and  no  one  must  know  of  it  but  my  secretary 
and  me.  Sir  Thomas  would  make  the  saddest  distur- 
bance ;  and  if  you  only  knew  how  weary  I  am  of  these 
scenes !  Oh,  Harry,  Harry,  can  you  explain  to  me  what 
makes  you  men  so  violent  and  unjust  ?  But,  indeed,  I 
know  you  cannot;  you  are  the  only  man  in  the  world 
who  knows  nothing  of  these  shameful  passions ;  you 
are  so  good,  Harry,  and  so  kind ;  you,  at  least,  can  be  a 
woman's  friend ;  and,  do  you  know  ?  I  think  you  make 
the  others  more  ugly  by  comparison." 

"It  is  you,"  said  Harry,  gallantly,  "who  are  so  kind 
tome.     You  treat  me  like " 

"Like  a  mother,"  interposed  Lady  Vandeleur,  "I  try 
to  be  a  mother  to  you.  Or  at  least,"  she  corrected  her- 
self with  a  smile,  "almost  a  mother.  I  am  afraid  I  am 
too  young  to  be  your  mother  really.  Let  us  say  a  friend 
— a  dear  friend." 

no 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

She  paused  long  enough  to  let  her  words  take  effect 
in  Harry's  sentimental  quarters,  but  not  long  enough  to 
allow  him  a  reply. 

4 'But  all  this  is  beside  our  purpose,"  she  resumed. 
"You  will  find  a  bandbox  in  the  left-hand  side  of  the 
oak  wardrobe;  it  is  underneath  the  pink  slip  that  I  wore 
on  Wednesday  with  my  Mechlin.  You  will  take  it  im- 
mediately to  this  address,"  and  she  gave  him  a  paper, 
'but  do  not,  on  any  account,  let  it  out  of  your  hands 
until  you  have  received  a  receipt  written  by  myself.  Do 
you  understand  ?  Answer,  if  you  please  —  answer!  This 
is  extremely  important,  and  I  must  ask  you  to  pay  some 
attention." 

Harry  pacified  her  by  repeating  her  instructions  per- 
fectly; and  she  was  just  going  to  tell  him  more  when 
General  Vandeleur  flung  into  the  apartment,  scarlet  with 
anger,  and  holding  a  long  and  elaborate  milliner's  bill 
in  his  hand. 

"Will  you  look  at  this,  madam  ?"  cried  he.  "Will 
you  have  the  goodness  to  look  at  this  document  ?  I 
know  well  enough  you  married  me  for  my  money,  and 
I  hope  I  can  make  as  great  allowance  as  any  other  man 
in  the  service;  but,  as  sure  as  God  made  me,  I  mean  to 
put  a  period  to  this  disreputable  prodigality." 

"Mr.  Hartley,"  said  Lady  Vandeleur,  "I  think  you 
understand  what  you  have  to  do.  May  I  ask  you  to  see 
to  it  at  once  ?  " 

"Stop,"  said  the  General,  addressing  Harry,  "one 
word  before  you  go."  And  then,  turning  again  to 
Lady  Vandeleur,  "What  is  this  precious  fellow's  er- 
rand ?"  he  demanded.  "I  trust  him  no  further  than  I 
do  yourself,  let  me  tell  you.     If  he  had  as  much  as  the 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

rudiments  of  honesty,  he  would  scorn  to  stay  in  this 
house ;  and  what  he  does  for  his  wages  is  a  mystery  to 
all  the  world.  What  is  his  errand,  Madam  ?  and  why 
are  you  hurrying  him  away  ?  " 

"  I  supposed  you  had  something  to  say  to  me  in  pri- 
vate," replied  the  lady. 

"You  spoke  about  an  errand,"  insisted  the  General. 
"  Do  not  attempt  to  deceive  me  in  my  present  state  of 
temper.     You  certainly  spoke  about  an  errand." 

"  If  you  insist  on  making  your  servants  privy  to  our 
humiliating  dissensions,"  replied  Lady  Vandeleur,  "per- 
haps I  had  better  ask  Mr.  Hartley  to  sit  down.  No  ?" 
she  continued ;  "  then  you  may  go,  Mr.  Hartley.  I  trust 
you  may  remember  all  that  you  have  heard  in  this  room ; 
it  may  be  useful  to  you." 

Harry  at  once  made  his  escape  from  the  drawing-room ; 
and  as  he  ran  upstairs  he  could  hear  the  General's  voice 
upraised  in  declamation,  and  the  thin  tones  of  Lady  Van- 
deleur planting  icy  repartees  at  every  opening.  How 
cordially  he  admired  the  wife !  How  skilfully  she  could 
evade  an  awkward  question !  with  what  secure  effron- 
tery she  repeated  her  instructions  under  the  very  guns 
of  the  enemy!  and  on  the  other  hand,  how  he  detested 
the  husband! 

There  had  been  nothing  unfamiliar  in  the  morning's 
events,  for  he  was  continually  in  the  habit  of  serving 
Lady  Vandeleur  on  secret  missions,  principally  connected 
with  millinery.  There  was  a  skeleton  in  the  house,  as 
he  well  knew.  The  bottomless  extravagance  and  the 
unknown  liabilities  of  the  wife  had  long  since  swallowed 
her  own  fortune,  and  threatened  day  by  day  to  engulf 
that  of  the  husband.     Once  or  twice  in  every  year  ex- 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

posure  and  ruin  seemed  imminent,  and  Harry  kept  trot- 
ting round  to  all  sorts  of  furnishers'  shops,  telling  small 
fibs,  and  paying  small  advances  on  the  gross  amount, 
until  another  term  was  tided  over,  and  the  lady  and  her 
faithful  secretary  breathed  again.  For  Harry,  in  a  double 
capacity,  was  heart  and  soul  upon  that  side  of  the  war : 
not  only  did  he  adore  Lady  Vandeleur  and  fear  and  dis- 
like her  husband,  but  he  naturally  sympathised  with  the 
love  of  finery,  and  his  own  single  extravagance  was  at 
the  tailor's. 

He  found  the  bandbox  where  it  had  been  described, 
arranged  his  toilet  with  care,  and  left  the  house.  The 
sun  shone  brightly ;  the  distance  he  had  to  travel  was 
considerable,  and  he  remembered  with  dismay  that  the 
General's  sudden  irruption  had  prevented  Lady  Vande- 
leur from  giving  him  money  for  a  cab.  On  this  sultry 
day  there  was  every  chance  that  his  complexion  would 
suffer  severely ;  and  to  walk  through  so  much  of  London 
with  a  bandbox  on  his  arm  was  a  humiliation  almost 
insupportable  to  a  youth  of  his  character.  He  paused, 
and  took  counsel  with  himself.  The  Vandeleurs  lived 
in  Eaton  Place ;  his  destination  was  near  Notting  Hill ; 
plainly,  he  might  cross  the  Park  by  keeping  well  in  the 
open  and  avoiding  populous  alleys;  and  he  thanked  his 
stars  when  he  reflected  that  it  was  still  comparatively 
early  in  the  day. 

Anxious  to  be  rid  of  his  incubus,  he  walked  some- 
what faster  than  his  ordinary,  and  he  was  already  some 
way  through  Kensington  Gardens  when,  in  a  solitary 
spot  among  trees,  he  found  himself  confronted  by  the 
General. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Sir  Thomas,"  observed  Harry, 
"3 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

politely  falling  on  one  side ;  for  the  other  stood  directly 
in  his  path. 

"Where  are  you  going,  sir?"  asked  the  General. 

"  I  am  taking  a  little  walk  among  the  trees,"  replied 
the  lad. 

The  General  struck  the  bandbox  with  his  cane. 

"With  that  thing?"  he  cried;  "you  lie,  sir,  and  you 
:<now  you  lie!" 

"Indeed,  Sir  Thomas,"  returned  Harry,  "I  am  not 
accustomed  to  be  questioned  in  so  high  a  key." 

"You  do  not  understand  your  position,"  said  the 
General.  ■ '  You  are  my  servant,  and  a  servant  of  whom 
I  have  conceived  the  most  serious  suspicions.  How  do 
1  know  but  that  your  box  is  full  of  teaspoons  ?  " 

'It  contains  a  silk  hat  belonging  to  a  friend,"  said 
Harry. 

"Very  well,"  replied  General  Vandeleur.  "Then  I 
want  to  see  your  friend's  silk  hat  I  have,"  he  added, 
grimly,  "  a  singular  curiosity  for  hats ;  and  I  believe  you 
know  me  to  be  somewhat  positive." 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Sir  Thomas,  I  am  exceedingly 
grieved,"  Harry  apologised;  "but  indeed  this  is  a  pri- 
vate affair." 

The  General  caught  him  roughly  by  the  shoulder  with 
one  hand,  while  he  raised  his  cane  in  the  most  menac- 
ing manner  with  the  other.  Harry  gave  himself  up  for 
lost;  but  at  the  same  moment  Heaven  vouchsafed  him 
an  unexpected  defender  in  the  person  of  Charlie  Pen- 
dragon,  who  now  strode  forward  from  behind  the  trees. 

"Come,  come,  General,  hold  your  hand,"  said  he, 
"this  is  neither  courteous  nor  manly." 

"  Aha  ! "  cried  the  General,  wheeling  round  upon  his 
114 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

new  antagonist,  "Mr.  Pendragon  !  And  do  you  sup- 
pose, Mr.  Pendragon,  that  because  I  have  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  marry  your  sister,  I  shall  suffer  myself  to  be 
dogged  and  thwarted  by  a  discredited  and  bankrupt 
libertine  like  you  ?  My  acquaintance  with  Lady  Van- 
deleur,  sir,  has  taken  away  all  my  appetite  for  the  other 
members  of  her  family." 

"And  do  you  fancy,  General  Vandeleur,"  retorted 
Charlie,  "  that  because  my  sister  has  had  the  misfortune 
to  marry  you,  she  there  and  then  forfeited  her  rights 
and  privileges  as  a  lady  ?  I  own,  sir,  that  by  that  action 
she  did  as  much  as  anybody  could  to  derogate  from  her 
position ;  but  to  me  she  is  still  a  Pendragon.  I  make  it 
my  business  to  protect  her  from  ungentlemanly  outrage, 
and  if  you  were  ten  times  her  husband  I  would  not  per- 
mit her  liberty  to  be  restrained,  nor  her  private  messen- 
ger to  be  violently  arrested." 

"How  is  that,  Mr.  Hartley  ?"  interrogated  the  Gen- 
eral. "Mr.  Pendragon  is  of  my  opinion,  it  appears. 
He  too  suspects  that  Lady  Vandeleur  has  something  to 
do  with  your  friend's  silk  hat." 

Charlie  saw  that  he  had  committed  an  unpardonable 
blunder,  which  he  hastened  to  repair. 

*  *  How,  sir  ?  "  he  cried ;  "  I  suspect,  do  you  say  ?  I  sus- 
pect nothing.  Only  where  I  find  strength  abused  and  a 
man  brutalizing  his  inferiors,  I  take  the  liberty  to  interfere. ' ' 

As  he  said  these  words  he  made  a  sign  to  Harry, 
which  the  latter  was  too  dull  or  too  much  troubled  to 
understand. 

1  ■  In  what  way  am  I  to  construe  your  attitude,  sir  ?  " 
demanded  Vandeleur. 

"Why,  sir,  as  you  please,"  returned  Pendragon. 
115 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

The  General  once  more  raised  his  cane,  and  made  a 
cut  for  Charlie's  head ;  but  the  latter,  lame  foot  and  all, 
evaded  the  blow  with  his  umbrella,  ran  in,  and  imme- 
diately closed  with  his  formidable  adversary. 

"  Run,  Harry,  run!  "  he  cried;  "run,  you  dolt! " 

Harry  stood  petrified  for  a  moment,  watching  the  two 
men  sway  together  in  this  fierce  embrace ;  then  he  turned 
and  took  to  his  heels.  When  he  cast  a  glance  over  his 
shoulder  he  saw  the  General  prostrate  under  Charlie's 
knee,  but  still  making  desperate  efforts  to  reverse  the 
situation ;  and  the  Gardens  seemed  to  have  filled  with 
people,  who  were  running  from  all  directions  towards 
the  scene  of  fight.  This  spectacle  lent  the  secretary 
wings;  and  he  did  not  relax  his  pace  until  he  had  gained 
the  Bayswater  road,  and  plunged  at  random  into  an  un- 
frequented by-street. 

To  see  two  gentlemen  of  his  acquaintance  thus  bru- 
tally mauling  each  other  was  deeply  shocking  to  Harry. 
He  desired  to  forget  the  sight;  he  desired,  above  all,  to 
put  as  great  a  distance  as  possible  between  himself  and 
General  Vandeleur;  and  in  his  eagerness  for  this  he  for- 
got everything  about  his  destination,  and  hurried  before 
him  headlong  and  trembling.  When  he  remembered 
that  Lady  Vandeleur  was  the  wife  of  one  and  sister  of 
the  other  of  these  gladiators,  his  heart  was  touched  with 
sympathy  for  a  woman  so  distressingly  misplaced  in 
life.  Even  his  own  situation  in  the  General's  house 
looked  hardly  so  pleasing  as  usual  in  the  light  of  these 
violent  transactions. 

He  had  walked  some  little  distance,  busied  with  these 
meditations,  before  a  slight  collision  with  another  pas- 
senger reminded  him  of  the  bandbox  on  his  arm. 

116 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

"Heavens!"  cried  he,  "where  was  my  head?  and 
whither  have  I  wandered  ?  " 

Thereupon  he  consulted  the  envelope  which  Lady 
Vandeleur  had  given  him.  The  address  was  there,  but 
without  a  name.  Harry  was  simply  directed  to  ask  for 
"the  gentleman  who  expected  a  parcel  from  Lady  Van- 
deleur," and  if  he  were  not  at  home  to  await  his  return. 
The  gentleman,  added  the  note,  should  present  a  receipt 
in  the  handwriting  of  the  lady  herself.  All  this  seemed 
mighty  mysterious,  and  Harry  was  above  all  astonished 
at  the  omission  of  the  name  and  the  formality  of  the  re- 
ceipt. He  had  thought  little  of  this  last  when  he  heard 
it  dropped  in  conversation ;  but  reading  it  in  cold  blood, 
and  taking  it  in  connection  with  the  other  strange  par- 
ticulars, he  became  convinced  that  he  was  engaged  in 
perilous  affairs.  For  half  a  moment  he  had  a  doubt  of 
Lady  Vandeleur  herself;  for  he  found  these  obscure  pro- 
ceedings somewhat  unworthy  of  so  high  a  lady,  and 
became  more  critical  when  her  secrets  were  preserved 
against  himself.  But  her  empire  over  his  spirit  was  too 
complete,  he  dismissed  his  suspicions,  and  blamed  him- 
self roundly  for  having  so  much  as  entertained  them. 

In  one  thing,  however,  his  duty  and  interest,  his  gen- 
erosity and  his  terrors,  coincided  —  to  get  rid  of  the 
bandbox  with  the  greatest  possible  despatch. 

He  accosted  the  first  policeman  and  courteously  in- 
quired his  way.  It  turned  out  that  he  was  already  not 
far  from  his  destination,  and  a  walk  of  a  few  minutes 
brought  him  to  a  small  house  in  a  lane,  freshly  painted, 
and  kept  with  the  most  scrupulous  attention.  The 
knocker  and  bell-pull  were  highly  polished ;  flowering 
pot-herbs  garnished  the  sills  of  the  different  windows ; 

117 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

and  curtains  of  some  rich  material  concealed  the  interior 
from  the  eyes  of  curious  passengers.  The  place  had  an 
air  of  repose  and  secrecy ;  and  Harry  was  so  far  caught 
with  this  spirit  that  he  knocked  with  more  than  usual 
discretion,  and  was  more  than  usually  careful  to  remove 
all  impurity  from  his  boots. 

A  servant-maid  of  some  personal  attractions  immedi- 
ately opened  the  door,  and  seemed  to  regard  the  secre- 
tary with  no  unkind  eyes. 

"This  is  the  parcel  from  Lady  Vandeleur,"  said 
Harry. 

"I  know,"  replied  the  maid,  with  a  nod.  " But  the 
gentleman  is  from  home.    Will  you  leave  it  with  me  ?  " 

"  I  cannot,"  answered  Harry.  "  I  am  directed  not  to 
part  with  it  but  upon  a  certain  condition,  and  I  must  ask 
you,  I  am  afraid,  to  let  me  wait." 

"Well,"  said  she,  "I  suppose  I  may  let  you  wait. 
I  am  lonely  enough,  I  can  tell  you,  and  you  do  not  look 
as  though  you  would  eat  a  girl.  But  be  sure  and  do  not 
ask  the  gentleman's  name,  for  that  I  am  not  to  tell  you." 

' '  Do  you  say  so  ?  "  cried  Harry.  ■ '  Why,  how  strange ! 
But  indeed  for  some  time  back  I  walk  among  surprises. 
One  question  I  think  I  may  surely  ask  without  indiscre- 
tion :  Is  he  the  master  of  this  house  ?  " 

"  He  is  a  lodger,  and  not  eight  days  old  at  that,"  re- 
turned the  maid.  "And  now  a  question  for  a  question: 
Do  you  know  Lady  Vandeleur  ?  " 

"I  am  her  private  secretary,"  replied  Harry,  with  a 
glow  of  modest  pride. 

"She  is  pretty,  is  she  not?"  pursued  the  servant. 

"Oh,  beautiful!"  cried  Harry;  "wonderfully  lovely, 
and  not  less  good  and  kind !  " 

118 


THE  RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

"  You  look  kind  enough  yourself,"  she  retorted;  "and 
I  wager  you  are  worth  a  dozen  Lady  Vandeleurs." 

Harry  was  properly  scandalised. 

'  *  I !  "  he  cried.     ' '  I  am  only  a  secretary !  " 

"Do  you  mean  that  for  me  ?"  said  the  girl.  "  Be- 
cause I  am  only  a  housemaid,  if  you  please."  And  then, 
relenting  at  the  sight  of  Harry's  obvious  confusion,  "  I 
know  you  mean  nothing  of  the  sort,"  she  added;  "and 
I  like  your  looks;  but  I  think  nothing  of  your  Lady  Van- 
deleur.  Oh,  these  mistresses!"  she  cried.  "To  send 
out  a  real  gentleman  like  you  —  with  a  bandbox  —  in 
broad  day!" 

During  this  talk  they  had  remained  in  their  original 
positions  —  she  on  the  doorstep,  he  on  the  sidewalk, 
bareheaded  for  the  sake  of  coolness,  and  with  the  band- 
box on  his  arm.  But  upon  this  last  speech  Harry,  who 
was  unable  to  support  such  point-blank  compliments  to 
his  appearance,  nor  the  encouraging  look  with  which 
they  were  accompanied,  began  to  change  his  attitude, 
and  glance  from  left  to  right  in  perturbation.  In  so 
doing  he  turned  his  face  towards  the  lower  end  of  the 
lane,  and  there,  to  his  indescribable  dismay,  his  eyes  en- 
countered those  of  General  Vandeleur.  The  General, 
in  a  prodigious  fluster  of  heat,  hurry,  and  indignation, 
had  been  scouring  the  streets  in  chase  of  his  brother-in- 
law  ;  but  so  soon  as  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  delinquent 
secretary  his  purpose  changed,  his  anger  flowed  into  a 
new  channel,  and  he  turned  on  his  heel  and  came  tearing 
up  the  lane  with  truculent  gestures  and  vociferations. 

Harry  made  but  one  bolt  of  it  into  the  house,  driving 
the  maid  before  him ;  and  the  door  was  slammed  in  his 
pursuer's  countenance. 

up 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

"  Is  there  a  bar  ?  Will  it  lock  ?  "  asked  Harry,  while 
a  salvo  on  the  knocker  made  the  house  echo  from  wall 
to  wall. 

"Why,  what  is  wrong  with  you?"  asked  the  maid. 
'Ms  it  this  old  gentleman  ?" 

"  If  he  gets  hold  of  me,"  whispered  Harry,  "lamas 
good  as  dead.  He  has  been  pursuing  me  all  day,  carries 
a  sword-stick,  and  is  an  Indian  military  officer." 

"These  are  fine  manners,"  cried  the  maid.  "And 
what,  if  you  please,  may  be  his  name  ?" 

"  It  is  the  General,  my  master, "  answered  Harry.  ■ '  He 
is  after  this  bandbox." 

"  Did  not  I  tell  you  ?  "  cried  the  maid  in  triumph.  "  I 
told  you  I  thought  worse  than  nothing  of  your  Lady  Van- 
deleur;  and  if  you  had  an  eye  in  your  head  you  might 
see  what  she  is  for  yourself.  An  ungrateful  minx,  I  will 
be  bound  for  that ! " 

The  General  renewed  his  attack  upon  the  knocker, 
and  his  passion  growing  with  delay,  began  to  kick  and 
beat  upon  the  panels  of  the  door. 

"It  is  lucky,"  observed  the  girl,  "that  I  am  alone  in 
the  house ;  your  General  may  hammer  until  he  is  weary, 
and  there  is  none  to  open  for  him.     Follow  me  !  " 

So  saying,  she  led  Harry  into  the  kitchen,  where  she 
made  him  sit  down,  and  stood  by  him  herself  in  an  af- 
fectionate attitude,  with  a  hand  upon  his  shoulder.  The 
din  at  the  door,  so  far  from  abating,  continued  to  increase 
in  volume,  and  at  each  blow  the  unhappy  secretary  was 
shaken  to  the  heart. 

"What  is  your  name  ?"  asked  the  girl. 

"Harry  Hartley,"  he  replied. 

1 '  Mine, "  she  went  on,  ' *  is  Prudence.   Do  you  like  it  ?  " 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

"Very  much,"  said  Harry.  "  But  hear  for  a  moment 
how  the  General  beats  upon  the  door.  He  will  certainly 
break  it  in,  and  then,  in  heaven's  name,  what  have  I  to 
look  for  but  death  ?" 

"You  put  yourself  very  much  about  with  no  occa- 
sion," answered  Prudence.  "  Let  your  General  knock, 
he  will  do  no  more  than  blister  his  hands.  Do  you  think 
I  would  keep  you  here  if  I  were  not  sure  to  save  you  ? 
Oh,  no,  I  am  a  good  friend  to  those  that  please  me  !  and 
we  have  a  back  door  upon  another  lane.  But,"  she 
added,  checking  him,  for  he  had  got  upon  his  feet  im- 
mediately on  this  welcome  news,  "  but  I  will  not  show 
where  it  is  unless  you  kiss  me.     Will  you,  Harry  ?  " 

"That  I  will,"  he  cried,  remembering  his  gallantry, 
1 '  not  for  your  back  door,  but  because  you  are  good  and 
pretty. " 

And  he  administered  two  or  three  cordial  salutes, 
which  were  returned  to  him  in  kind. 

Then  Prudence  led  him  to  the  back  gate,  and  put  her 
hand  upon  the  key. 

"  Will  you  come  and  see  me?"  she  asked. 

"I  will  indeed,"  said  Harry.  "Do  not  I  owe  you 
my  life?" 

"And  now,"  she  added,  opening  the  door,  "run  as 
hard  as  you  can,  for  I  shall  let  in  the  General." 

Harry  scarcely  required  this  advice ;  fear  had  him  by 
the  forelock;  and  he  addressed  himself  diligently  to 
flight.  A  few  steps,  and  he  believed  he  would  return 
to  Lady  Vandeleur  in  honour  and  safety.  But  these  few 
steps  had  not  been  taken  before  he  heard  a  man's  voice, 
hailing  him  by  name  with  many  execrations,  and,  look- 
ing over  his  shoulder,  he  beheld  Charlie  Pendragon  wav- 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

ing  him  with  both  arms  to  return.  The  shock  of  this 
new  incident  was  so  sudden  and  profound,  and  Harry 
was  already  worked  into  so  high  a  state  of  nervous 
tension,  that  he  could  think  of  nothing  better  than  to 
accelerate  his  pace,  and  continue  running.  He  should 
certainly  have  remembered  the  scene  in  Kensington  Gar- 
dens; he  should  have  certainly  have  concluded  that, 
where  the  General  was  his  enemy,  Charlie  Pendragon 
could  be  no  other  than  a  friend.  But  such  was  the  fever 
and  perturbation  of  his  mind  that  he  was  struck  by  none 
of  these  considerations,  and  only  continued  to  run  the 
faster  up  the  lane. 

Charlie,  by  the  sound  of  his  voice  and  the  vile  terms 
that  he  hurled  after  the  secretary,  was  obviously  beside 
himself  with  rage.  He,  too,  ran  his  very  best ;  but,  try 
as  he  might,  the  physical  advantages  were  not  upon  his 
side,  and  his  outcries  and  the  fall  of  his  lame  foot  on  the 
macadam  began  to  fall  farther  and  farther  into  the  wake. 

Harry's  hopes  began  once  more  to  arise.  The  lane 
was  both  steep  and  narrow,  but  it  was  exceedingly  soli- 
tary, bordered  on  either  hand  by  garden  walls,  overhung 
with  foliage;  and,  for  as  far  as  the  fugitive  could  see  in 
front  of  him,  there  was  neither  a  creature  moving  nor  an 
open  door.  Providence,  weary  of  persecution,  was  now 
offering  him  an  open  field  for  his  escape. 

Alas !  as  he  came  abreast  of  a  garden  door  under  a 
tuft  of  chestnuts,  it  was  suddenly  drawn  back,  and  he 
could  see  inside,  upon  a  garden  path,  the  figure  of  a 
butcher's  boy  with  his  tray  upon  his  arm.  He  had 
hardly  recognised  the  fact  before  he  was  some  steps  be- 
yond upon  the  other  side.  But  the  fellow  had  had  time 
to  observe  nim ;  he  was  evidently  much  surprised  to  see 

122 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

a  gentleman  go  by  at  so  unusual  a  pace ;  and  he  came 
out  into  the  lane  and  began  to  call  after  Harry  with 
shouts  of  ironical  encouragement. 

His  appearance  gave  a  new  idea  to  Charlie  Pendragon, 
who,  although  he  was  now  sadly  out  of  breath,  once 
more  upraised  his  voice. 

"Stop  thief!"  he  cried. 

And  immediately  the  butcher's  boy  had  taken  up  the 
cry  and  joined  in  the  pursuit. 

This  was  a  bitter  moment  for  the  hunted  secretary. 
It  is  true  that  his  terror  enabled  him  once  more  to  improve 
his  pace,  and  gain  with  every  step  on  his  pursuers ;  but 
he  was  well  aware  that  he  was  near  the  end  of  his  re- 
sources, and  should  he  meet  anyone  coming  the  other 
way,  his  predicament  in  the  narrow  lane  would  be 
desperate  indeed. 

"I  must  find  a  place  of  concealment,"  he  thought, 
"and  that  within  the  next  few  seconds,  or  all  is  over 
with  me  in  this  world." 

Scarcely  had  the  thought  crossed  his  mind  than  the 
lane  took  a  sudden  turning;  and  he  found  himself 
hidden  from  his  enemies.  There  are  circumstances  in 
which  even  the  least  energetic  of  mankind  learn  to  be- 
have with  vigour  and  decision ;  and  the  more  cautious 
forget  their  prudence  and  embrace  foolhardy  resolutions. 
This  was  one  of  those  occasions  for  Harry  Hartley ;  and 
those  who  knew  him  best  would  have  been  the  most 
astonished  at  the  lad's  audacity.  He  stopped  dead, 
flung  the  bandbox  over  a  garden  wall,  and  leaping  up- 
ward with  incredible  agility  and  seizing  the  copestone 
with  his  hands,  he  tumbled  headlong  after  it  into  the 
garden. 

133 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

He  came  to  himself  a  moment  afterwards,  seated  in  a 
border  of  small  rosebushes.  His  hands  and  knees  were 
cut  and  bleeding,  for  the  wall  had  been  protected  against 
such  an  escalade  by  a  liberal  provision  of  old  bottles ; 
and  he  was  conscious  of  a  general  dislocation  and  a 
painful  swimming  in  the  head.  Facing  him  across  the 
garden,  which  was  in  admirable  order,  and  set  with 
flowers  of  the  most  delicious  perfume,  he  beheld  the  back 
of  a  house.  It  was  of  considerable  extent,  and  plainly 
habitable;  but,  in  odd  contrast  to  the  grounds,  it  was 
crazy,  ill-kept,  and  of  a  mean  appearance.  On  all  other 
sides  the  circuit  of  the  garden  wall  appeared  unbroken. 

He  took  in  these  features  of  the  scene  with  mechan- 
ical glances,  but  his  mind  was  still  unable  to  piece  to- 
gether or  draw  a  rational  conclusion  from  what  he  saw. 
And  when  he  heard  footsteps  advancing  on  the  gravel, 
although  he  turned  his  eyes  in  that  direction,  it  was  with 
no  thought  either  for  defence  or  flight. 

The  new-comer  was  a  large,  coarse,  and  very  sordid 
personage,  in  gardening  clothes,  and  with  a  watering- 
pot  in  his  left  hand.  One  less  confused  would  have 
been  affected  with  some  alarm  at  the  sight  of  this  man's 
huge  proportions  and  black  and  lowering  eyes.  But 
Harry  was  too  gravely  shaken  by  his  fall  to  be  so  much 
as  terrified ;  and  if  he  was  unable  to  divert  his  glances 
from  the  gardener,  he  remained  absolutely  passive,  and 
suffered  him  to  draw  near,  to  take  him  by  the  shoulder, 
and  to  plant  him  roughly  on  his  feet,  without  a  motion 
of  resistance. 

For  a  moment  the  two  stared  into  each  other's  eyes, 
Harry  fascinated,  the  man  filled  with  wrath  and  a  cruel, 
sneering  humour. 

124 


THE   RAJAH'S    DIAMOND 

"Who  are  you  ?  "  he  demanded  at  last.  "  Who  are 
you  to  come  flying  over  my  wall  and  break  my  Gloire 
de  Dijons?  What  is  your  name  ?"  he  added,  shaking 
him;  "  and  what  may  be  your  business  here  ?" 

Harry  could  not  as  much  as  proffer  a  word  in  expla- 
nation. 

But  just  at  that  moment  Pendragon  and  the  butcher's 
boy  went  clumping  past,  and  the  sound  of  their  feet  and 
their  hoarse  cries  echoed  loudly  in  the  narrow  lane. 
The  gardener  had  received  his  answer;  and  he  looked 
down  into  Harry's  face  with  an  obnoxious  smile. 

"A  thief!"  he  said.  "Upon  my  word,  and  a  very 
good  thing  you  must  make  of  it;  for  I  see  you  dressed 
like  a  gentleman  from  top  to  toe.  Are  you  not  ashamed 
to  go  about  the  world  in  such  a  trim,  with  honest  folk, 
I  dare  say,  glad  to  buy  your  cast-off  finery  second-hand  ? 
Speak  up,  you  dog,"  the  man  went  on;  "you  can  un- 
derstand English,  I  suppose ;  and  I  mean  to  have  a  bit 
of  talk  with  you  before  I  march  you  to  the  station." 

"Indeed,  sir,"  said  Harry,  "this  is  all  a  dreadful  mis- 
conception ;  and  if  you  will  go  with  me  to  Sir  Thomas 
Vandeleur's  in  Eaton  Place,  I  can  promise  that  all  will 
be  made  plain.  The  most  upright  person,  as  I  now  per- 
ceive, can  be  led  into  suspicious  positions." 

"  My  little  man,"  replied  the  gardener,  "  I  will  go  with 
you  no  farther  than  the  station-house  in  the  next  street. 
The  inspector,  no  doubt,  will  be  glad  to  take  a  stroll  with 
you  as  far  as  Eaton  Place,  and  have  a  bit  of  afternoon  tea 
with  your  great  acquaintances.  Or  would  you  prefer  to 
go  direct  to  the  Home  Secretary  ?  Sir  Thomas  Vande- 
leur,  indeed!  Perhaps  you  think  I  don't  know  a  gen- 
tleman when  I  see  one,  from  a  common  run-the-hedge 

125 


NEW  ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

like  you  ?  Clothes  or  no  clothes,  I  can  read  you  like  a 
book.  Here  is  a  shirt  that  maybe  cost  as  much  as  my 
Sunday  hat;  and  that  coat,  I  take  it,  has  never  seen  the 

inside  of  Rag-fair,  and  then  your  boots " 

The  man,  whose  eyes  had  fallen  upon  the  ground, 
stopped  short  in  his  insulting  commentary,  and  remained 
for  a  moment  looking  intently  upon  something  at  his 
feet.  When  he  spoke  his  voice  was  strangely  altered. 
"What,  in  God's  name,"  said  he,  "is  all  this  ?" 
Harry,  following  the  direction  of  the  man's  eyes,  be- 
held a  spectacle  that  struck  him  dumb  with  terror  and 
amazement.  In  his  fall  he  had  descended  vertically  upon 
the  bandbox  and  burst  it  open  from  end  to  end ;  thence 
a  great  treasure  of  diamonds  had  poured  forth,  and  now 
lay  abroad,  part  trodden  in  the  soil,  part  scattered  on  the 
surface  in  regal  and  glittering  profusion.  There  was  a 
magnificent  coronet  which  he  had  often  admired  on 
Lady  Vandeleur;  there  were  rings  and  brooches,  ear- 
drops and  bracelets,  and  even  unset  brilliants  rolling 
here  and  there  among  the  rosebushes  like  drops  of  morn- 
ing dew.  A  princely  fortune  lay  between  the  two  men 
upon  the  ground  —  a  fortune  in  the  most  inviting,  solid, 
and  durable  form,  capable  of  being  carried  in  an  apron, 
beautiful  in  itself,  and  scattering  the  sunlight  in  a  mil- 
lion rainbow  flashes. 

"Good  God  !  "  said  Harry,  "  I  am  lost ! " 
His  mind  raced  backward  into  the  past  with  the  in- 
calculable velocity  of  thought,  and  he  began  to  compre- 
hend his  day's  adventures,  to  conceive  them  as  a  whole, 
and  to  recognise  the  sad  imbroglio  in  which  his  own 
character  and  fortunes  had  become  involved.  He  looked 
round  him,  as  if  for  help,  but  he  was  alone  in  the  gar- 

126 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

den,  with  his  scattered  diamonds  and  his  redoubtable 
interlocutor;  and  when  he  gave  ear,  there  was  no  sound 
but  the  rustle  of  the  leaves  and  the  hurried  pulsation  of 
his  heart.  It  was  little  wonder  if  the  young  man  felt 
himself  a  little  deserted  by  his  spirits,  and  with  a  broken 
voice  repeated  his  last  ejaculation 

"I  am  lost !" 

The  gardener  peered  in  all  directions  with  an  air  of 
guilt ;  but  there  was  no  face  at  any  of  the  windows,  and 
he  seemed  to  breathe  again. 

"  Pick  up  a  heart,"  he  said,  "you  fool!  The  worst  of 
it  is  done.  Why  could  you  not  say  at  first  there  was 
enough  for  two?  Two!"  he  repeated,  "aye,  and  for 
two  hundred  !  But  come  away  from  here,  where  we 
may  be  observed;  and,  for  the  love  of  wisdom,  straighten 
out  your  hat  and  brush  your  clothes.  You  could  not 
travel  two  steps  the  figure  of  fun  you  look  just  now." 

While  Harry  mechanically  adopted  these  suggestions, 
the  gardener,  getting  upon  his  knees,  hastily  drew  to- 
gether the  scattered  jewels  and  returned  them  to  the 
bandbox.  The  touch  of  these  costly  crystals  sent  a 
shiver  of  emotion  through  the  man's  stalwart  frame; 
his  face  was  transfigured,  and  his  eyes  shone  with  con- 
cupiscence; indeed  it  seemed  as  if  he  luxuriously  pro- 
longed his  occupation,  and  dallied  with  every  diamond 
that  he  handled.  At  last,  however,  it  was  done;  and, 
concealing  the  bandbox  in  his  smock,  the  gardener  beck- 
oned to  Harry  and  preceded  him  in  the  direction  of  the 
house. 

Near  the  door  they  were  met  by  a  young  man  evi- 
dently in  holy  orders,  dark  and  strikingly  handsome, 
with  a  look  of  mingled  weakness  and  resolution,  and 

127 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

very  neatly  attired  after  the  manner  of  his  caste.  The 
gardener  was  plainly  annoyed  by  this  encounter;  but  he 
put  as  good  a  face  upon  it  as  he  could,  and  accosted  the 
clergyman  with  an  obsequious  and  smiling  air. 

"Here  is  a  fine  afternoon,  Mr.  Rolles,"  said  he:  "a 
fine  afternoon,  as  sure  as  God  made  it !  And  here  is  a 
young  friend  of  mine  who  had  a  fancy  to  look  at  my 
roses.  I  took  the  liberty  to  bring  him  in,  for  I  thought 
none  of  the  lodgers  would  object." 

"Speaking  for  myself,"  replied  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Rolles, "I  do  not;  nor  do  I  fancy  any  of  the  rest  of  us 
would  be  more  difficult  upon  so  small  a  matter.  The 
garden  is  your  own,  Mr.  Raeburn ;  we  must  none  of  us 
forget  that ;  and  because  you  give  us  liberty  to  walk 
there  we  should  be  indeed  ungracious  if  we  so  far  pre- 
sumed upon  your  politeness  as  to  interfere  with  the  con- 
venience of  your  friends.  But,  on  second  thoughts," 
he  added,  "I  believe  that  this  gentleman  and  I  have 
met  before.  Mr.  Hartley,  I  think.  I  regret  to  observe 
that  you  have  had  a  fall." 

And  he  offered  his  hand. 

A  sort  of  maiden  dignity  and  a  desire  to  delay  as  long 
as  possible  the  necessity  for  explanation  moved  Harry 
to  refuse  this  chance  of  help,  and  to  deny  his  own  iden- 
tity. He  chose  the  tender  mercies  of  the  gardener,  who 
was  at  least  unknown  to  him,  rather  than  the  curiosity 
and  perhaps  the  doubts  of  an  acquaintance. 

"  I  fear  there  is  some  mistake,"  said  he.  "My  name 
is  Thomlinson  and  I  am  a  friend  of  Mr.  Raeburn's." 

"  Indeed  ? "  said  Mr.  Rolles.  "The  likeness  is  amaz- 
ing." 

Mr.  Raeburn,  who  had  been  upon  thorns  throughout 
128 


THE   RAJAH'S    DIAMOND 

this  colloquy,  now  felt  it  high  time  to  bring  it  to  a 
period. 

"  I  wish  you  a  pleasant  saunter,  sir,"  said  he. 

And  with  that  he  dragged  Harry  after  him  into  the 
house,  and  then  into  a  chamber  on  the  garden.  His 
first  care  was  to  draw  down  the  blind,  for  Mr.  Rolles 
still  remained  where  they  had  left  him,  in  an  attitude  of 
perplexity  and  thought.  Then  he  emptied  tne  broken 
bandbox  on  the  table,  and  stood  before  the  treasure, 
thus  fully  displayed,  with  an  expression  of  rapturous 
greed,  and  rubbing  his  hands  upon  his  thighs.  For 
Harry,  the  sight  of  the  man's  face  under  the  influence 
of  this  base  emotion,  added  another  pang  to  those  he 
was  already  suffering.  It  seemed  incredible  that,  from 
his  life  of  pure  and  delicate  trifling,  he  should  be  plunged 
in  a  breath  among  sordid  and  criminal  relations.  He 
could  reproach  his  conscience  with  no  sinful  act;  and 
yet  he  was  now  suffering  the  punishment  of  sin  in  its 
most  acute  and  cruel  forms  —  the  dread  of  punishment, 
the  suspicions  of  the  good,  and  the  companionship  and 
contamination  of  vile  and  brutal  natures.  He  felt  he 
could  lay  his  life  down  with  gladness  to  escape  from 
the  room  and  the  society  of  Mr.  Raeburn. 

"And  now,"  said  the  latter,  after  he  had  separated 
the  jewels  into  two  nearly  equal  parts,  and  drawn  one 
of  them  nearer  to  himself;  "  and  now,"  said  he,  "every- 
thing in  this  world  has  to  be  paid  for,  and  some  things 
sweetly.  You  must  know,  Mr.  Hartley,  if  such  be  your 
name,  that  I  am  a  man  of  a  very  easy  temper,  and  good 
nature  has  been  my  stumbling  block  from  first  to  last. 
I  could  pocket  the  whole  of  these  pretty  pebbles,  if  I 
chose,  and  I  should  like  to  see  you  dare  to  say  a  word; 

129 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

but  I  think  I  must  have  taken  a  liking  to  you;  for  I  de- 
clare I  have  not  the  heart  to  shave  you  so  close.  So,  do 
you  see,  in  pure  kind  feeling,  I  propose  that  we  divide; 
and  these,"  indicating  the  two  heaps,  "are  the  propor- 
tions that  seem  to  me  just  and  friendly.  Do  you  see 
any  objection,  Mr.  Hartley,  may  I  ask?  I  am  not  the 
man  to  stick  upon  a  brooch." 

M  But,  sir,"  cried  Harry,  "what  you  propose  to  me  is 
impossible.  The  jewels  are  not  mine,  and  I  cannot  share 
what  is  another's,  no  matter  with  whom,  nor  in  what 
proportions." 

"  They  are  not  yours,  are  they  not  ?  "  returned  Rae- 
burn.  "  And  you  could  not  share  them  with  anybody, 
could  n't  you  ?  Well  now,  that  is  what  I  call  a  pity ;  for 
here  I  am  obliged  to  take  you  to  the  station.  The  police 
—  think  of  that,"  he  continued;  "think  of  the  disgrace 
for  your  respectable  parents ;  think, "  he  went  on,  taking 
Harry  by  the  wrist ;  ' '  think  of  the  Colonies  and  the  Day 
of  Judgment." 

' '  I  cannot  help  it, "  wailed  Harry.  "  It  is  not  my  fault. 
You  will  not  come  with  me  to  Eaton  Place." 

"No,"  replied  the  man,  "I  will  not,  that  is  certain. 
And  I  mean  to  divide  these  playthings  with  you  here." 

And  so  saying  he  applied  a  sudden  and  severe  torsion 
to  the  lad's  wrist. 

Harry  could  not  suppress  a  scream,  and  the  perspira- 
tion burst  forth  upon  his  face.  Perhaps  pain  and  terror 
quickened  his  intelligence,  but  certainly  at  that  moment 
the  whole  business  flashed  across  him  in  another  light; 
and  he  saw  that  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  accede 
to  the  ruffian's  proposal,  and  trust  to  find  the  house  and 
force  him  to  disgorge,  under  more  favourable  circum- 

130 


THE   RAJAH'S  DIAMOND 

stances,  and  when  he  himself  was  clear  from  all  sus- 
picion. 

"I  agree,"  he  said. 

' '  There  is  a  lamb, "  sneered  the  gardener.  ' i  I  thought 
you  would  recognise  your  interests  at  last.  This  band- 
box," he  continued,  "I  shall  burn  with  my  rubbish; 
it  is  a  thing  that  curious  folk  might  recognise;  and  as 
for  you,  scrape  up  your  gayeties  and  put  them  in  your 
pocket." 

Harry  proceeded  to  obey,  Raeburn  watching  him, 
and  every  now  and  again,  his  greed  rekindled  by  some 
bright  scintillation,  abstracting  another  jewel  from  the 
secretary's  share,  and  adding  it  to  his  own. 

When  this  was  finished,  both  proceeded  to  the  front 
door,  which  Raeburn  cautiously  opened  to  observe  the 
street.  This  was  apparently  clear  of  passengers ;  for  he 
suddenly  seized  Harry  by  the  nape  of  the  neck,  and 
holding  his  face  downward  so  that  he  could  see  nothing 
but  the  roadway  and  the  doorsteps  of  the  houses,  pushed 
him  violently  before  him  down  one  street  and  up  another 
for  the  space  of  perhaps  a  minute  and  a  half.  Harry  had 
counted  three  corners  before  the  bully  relaxed  his  grasp, 
and  crying,  "Now  be  off  with  you!  "  sent  the  lad  fly- 
ing head  foremost  with  a  well-directed  and  athletic  kick. 

When  Harry  gathered  himself  up,  half-stunned  and 
bleeding  freely  at  the  nose,  Mr.  Raeburn  had  entirely 
disappeared.  For  the  first  time,  anger  and  pain  so  com- 
pletely overcame  the  lad's  spirits  that  he  burst  into  a  fit 
of  tears  and  remained  sobbing  in  the  middle  of  the  road. 

After  he  had  thus  somewhat  assuaged  his  emotion,  he 
began  to  look  about  him  and  read  the  names  of  the 
streets  at  whose  intersection  he  had  been  deserted  by 

131 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

the  gardener.  He  was  still  in  an  unfrequented  portion 
of  West  London,  among  villas  and  large  gardens ;  bu' 
he  could  see  some  persons  at  a  window  who  had  evi 
dently  witnessed  his  misfortune;  and  almost  immedi- 
ately after  a  servant  came  running  from  the  house  anc 
offered  him  a  glass  of  water.  At  the  same  time,  a  dirtv 
rogue,  who  had  been  slouching  somewhere  in  the 
neighbourhood,  drew  near  him  from  the  other  side. 

"  Poor  fellow,"  said  the  maid,  "  how  vilely  you  have 
been  handled,  to  be  sure!  Why,  your  knees  are  all  cut, 
and  your  clothes  ruined !  Do  you  know  the  wretch  who 
used  you  so?" 

"That  1  do!  "  cried  Harry,  who  was  somewhat  re- 
freshed by  the  water;  "and  shall  run  him  home  in  spite 
of  his  precautions.  He  shall  pay  dearly  for  this  day's 
work,  I  promise  you." 

"  You  had  better  come  into  the  house  and  have  your- 
self washed  and  brushed,"  continued  the  maid.  "My 
mistress  will  make  you  welcome,  never  fear.  And  see, 
I  will  pick  up  your  hat.  Why,  love  of  mercy ! "  she 
screamed,  "if  you  have  not  dropped  diamonds  all  over 
the  street!" 

Such  was  the  case ;  a  good  half  of  what  remained  to 
him  after  the  depredations  of  Mr.  Raeburn,  had  been 
shaken  out  of  his  pockets  by  the  summersault,  and  once 
more  lay  glittering  on  the  ground.  He  blessed  his  for- 
tune that  the  maid  had  been  so  quick  of  eye;  "there  is 
nothing  so  bad  but  it  might  be  worse,"  thought  he;  and 
the  recovery  of  these  few  seemed  to  him  almost  as  great 
an  affair  as  the  loss  of  all  the  rest.  But,  alas!  as  he 
stooped  to  pick  up  his  treasures  the  loiterer  made  a  rapid 
onslaught,  overset  both  Harry  and  the  maid  with  a 

132 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

movement  of  his  arms,  swept  up  a  double  handful  of 
the  diamonds,  and  made  off  along  the  street  with  an 
amazing  swiftness. 

Harry,  as  soon  as  he  could  get  upon  his  feet,  gave 
chase  to  the  miscreant  with  many  cries,  but  the  latter 
was  too  fleet  of  foot,  and  probably  too  well  acquainted 
with  the  locality ;  for  turn  where  the  pursuer  would,  he 
could  find  no  traces  of  the  fugitive. 

In  the  deepest  despondency  Harry  revisited  the  scene 
of  his  mishap,  where  the  maid,  who  was  still  waiting, 
very  honestly  returned  him  his  hat  and  the  remainder 
of  the  fallen  diamonds.  Harry  thanked  her  from  his 
heart,  and  being  now  in  no  humour  for  economy,  made 
his  way  to  the  nearest  cabstand  and  set  off  for  Eaton 
Place  by  coach. 

The  house,  on  his  arrival,  seemed  in  some  confusion, 
as  if  a  catastrophe  had  happened  in  the  family ;  and  the 
servants  clustered  together  in  the  hall,  and  were  unable, 
or  perhaps  not  altogether  anxious,  to  suppress  their 
merriment  at  the  tatterdemalion  figure  of  the  secretary. 
He  passed  them  with  as  good  an  air  of  dignity  as  he 
could  assume,  and  made  directly  for  the  boudoir.  When 
he  opened  the  door  an  astonishing  and  even  menacing 
spectacle  presented  itself  to  his  eyes;  for  he  beheld  the 
General  and  his  wife  and,  of  all  people,  Charlie  Pendra- 
gon,  closeted  together  and  speaking  with  earnestness 
and  gravity  on  some  important  subject.  Harry  saw  at 
once  that  there  was  little  left  for  him  to  explain — plenary 
confession  had  plainly  been  made  to  the  General  of  the 
intended  fraud  upon  his  pocket,  and  the  unfortunate 
miscarriage  of  the  scheme;  and  they  had  all  made  com- 
mon cause  against  a  common  danger. 

i}3 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

"Thank  heaven!"  cried  Lady  Vandeleur,  "here  he 
is!    The  bandbox,  Harry  —  the  bandbox!" 

But  Harry  stood  before  them  silent  and  downcast. 

"Speak!  "  she  cried.  "Speak!  Where  is  the  band- 
box ?  " 

And  the  men,  with  threatening  gestures,  repeated  the 
demand. 

Harry  drew  a  handful  of  jewels  from  his  pocket.  He 
was  very  white. 

"This  is  all  that  remains,"  said  he.  "I  declare  be- 
fore Heaven  it  was  through  no  fault  of  mine;  and  if  you 
will  have  patience,  although  some  are  lost,  I  am  afraid, 
for  ever,  others,  I  am  sure,  may  be  still  recovered!  " 

"Alas!"  cried  Lady  Vandeleur,  "all  our  diamonds 
are  gone,  and  I  owe  ninety  thousand  pounds  for  dress! " 

"  Madam,"  said  the  General,  "you  might  have  paved 
the  gutter  with  your  own  trash ;  you  might  have  made 
debts  to  fifty  times  the  sum  you  mention ;  you  might 
have  robbed  me  of  my  mother's  coronet  and  rings ;  and 
Nature  might  have  still  so  far  prevailed  that  I  could  have 
forgiven  you  at  last.  But,  madam,  you  have  taken  the 
Rajah's  Diamond  —  the  Eye  of  Light,  as  the  Orientals 
poetically  termed  it  —  the  Pride  of  Kashgar!  You  have 
taken  from  me  the  Rajah's  Diamond,"  he  cried,  raising 
his  hands,  "and  all,  madam,  all  is  at  an  end  between  us ! " 

"  Believe  me,  General  Vandeleur,"  she  replied,  "that 
is  one  of  the  most  agreeable  speeches  that  ever  I  heard 
from  your  lips ;  and  since  we  are  to  be  ruined  I  could 
almost  welcome  the  change,  if  it  delivers  me  from  you. 
You  have  told  me  often  enough  that  I  married  you  for 
your  money ;  let  me  tell  you  now  that  I  always  bitterly 
repented  the  bargain ;  and  if  you  were  still  marriage- 

»34 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

able,  and  had  a  diamond  bigger  than  your  head,  I  should 
counsel  even  my  maid  against  a  union  so  uninviting  and 
disastrous.  As  for  you,  Mr.  Hartley,"  she  continued, 
turning  on  the  secretary,  "you  have  sufficiently  exhib- 
ited your  valuable  qualities  in  this  house ;  we  are  now 
persuaded  that  you  equally  lack  manhood,  sense  and 
self-respect ;  and  I  can  see  only  one  course  open  for  you 
— to  withdraw  instanter,  and,  if  possible,  return  no 
more.  For  your  wages  you  may  rank  as  a  creditor  in 
my  late  husband's  bankruptcy." 

Harry  had  scarcely  comprehended  this  insulting  ad- 
dress before  the  General  was  down  upon  him  with  an- 
other. 

"And  in  the  mean  time,"  said  that  personage,  "fol- 
low me  before  the  nearest  Inspector  of  Police.  You  may 
impose  upon  a  simple-minded  soldier,  sir,  but  the  eye 
of  the  law  will  read  your  disreputable  secret.  If  I  must 
spend  my  old  age  in  poverty  through  your  underhand 
intriguing  with  my  wife,  I  mean  at  least  that  you  shall 
not  remain  unpunished  for  your  pains;  and  God,  sir, 
will  deny  me  a  very  considerable  satisfaction  if  you  do 
not  pick  oakum  from  now  until  your  dying  day." 

With  that  the  General  dragged  Harry  from  the  apart- 
ment, and  hurried  him  downstairs  and  along  the  street 
to  the  police-station  of  the  district. 

Here  (says  my  Arabian  author)  ended  this  deplorable 
business  of  the  bandbox.  But  to  the  unfortunate  Secre- 
tary the  whole  affair  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  and  man- 
lier life.  The  police  were  easily  persuaded  of  his  inno- 
cence; and,  after  he  had  given  what  help  he  could  in  the 
subsequent  investigations,  he  was  even  complimented  by 
one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  deteclive  department  on  the  pro- 

135 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

bity  and  simplicity  of  his  behaviour.  Several  persons  in- 
terested themselves  in  one  so  unfortunate;  and  soon  after 
he  inherited  a  sum  of  money  from  a  maiden  aunt  in 
Worcestershire.  With  this  he  married  Prudence,  and 
set  sail  for  Bendigo,  or  according  to  another  account,  for 
Trincomalee,  exceedingly  content,  and  with  the  best  of 
prospers. 


•  # 


STORY  OF  THE  YOUNG  MAN  IN  HOLY  ORDERS 

The  Reverend  Mr.  Simon  Rolles  had  distinguished 
himself  in  the  Moral  Sciences,  and  was  more  than  usually 
proficient  in  the  study  of  Divinity.  His  essay  u  On  the 
Christian  Doctrine  of  the  Social  Obligations  "  obtained 
for  him  at  the  moment  of  its  production,  a  certain  celeb- 
rity in  the  University  of  Oxford ;  and  it  was  understood 
in  clerical  and  learned  circles  that  young  Mr.  Rolles  had 
in  contemplation  a  considerable  work  —  a  folio,  it  was 
said  —  on  the  authority  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Church. 
These  attainments,  these  ambitious  designs,  however, 
were  far  from  helping  him  to  any  preferment ;  and  still 
he  was  in  quest  of  his  first  curacy  when  a  chance  ram- 
ble in  that  part  of  London,  the  peaceful  and  rich  aspect 
of  the  garden,  a  desire  for  solitude  and  study,  and  the 
cheapness  of  the  lodging,  led  him  to  take  up  his  abode 
with  Mr.  Raeburn,  the  nurseryman  of  Stockdove  Lane. 

It  was  his  habit  every  afternoon,  after  he  had  worked 
seven  or  eight  hours  on  St.  Ambrose  or  St.  Chrysostom, 
to  walk  for  awhile  in  meditation  among  the  roses.  And 
this  was  usually  one  of  the  most  productive  moments 
of  his  day.  But  even  a  sincere  appetite  for  thought,  and 
the  excitement  of  grave  problems  awaiting  solution,  are 
not  always  sufficient  to  preserve  the  mind  of  the  phil- 

»37 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

osopher  against  the  petty  shocks  and  contacts  of  the 
world.  And  when  Mr.  Rolles  found  General  Vande- 
leur's  secretary,  ragged  and  bleeding,  in  the  company 
of  the  landlord ;  when  he  saw  both  change  colour  and 
seek  to  avoid  his  questions ;  and,  above  all,  when  the 
former  denied  his  own  identity  with  the  most  unmoved 
assurance,  he  speedily  forgot  the  Saints  and  Fathers  in 
the  vulgar  interest  of  curiosity. 

"I  cannot  be  mistaken,"  thought  he.  "That  is  Mr. 
Hartley  beyond  a  doubt.  How  comes  he  in  such  a 
pickle  ?  why  does  he  deny  his  name  ?  and  what  can  be 
his  business  with  that  black-looking  ruffian,  my  land- 
lord?" 

As  he  was  thus  reflecting,  another  peculiar  circum- 
stance attracted  his  attention.  The  face  of  Mr.  Raeburn 
appeared  at  a  low  window  next  the  door;  and,  as  chance 
directed,  his  eyes  met  those  of  Mr.  Rolles.  The  nur- 
seryman seemed  disconcerted,  and  even  alarmed;  and 
immediately  after  the  blind  of  the  apartment  was  pulled 
sharply  down. 

"This  may  all  be  very  well,"  reflected  Mr.  Rolles; 
"it  may  be  all  excellently  well;  but  I  confess  freely  that 
I  do  not  think  so.  Suspicious,  underhand,  untruthful, 
fearful  of  observation  —  I  believe  upon  my  soul,"  he 
thought,  "the  pair  are  plotting  some  disgraceful  action." 

The  detective  that  there  is  in  all  of  us  awoke  and  be- 
came clamant  in  the  bosom  of  Mr.  Rolles ;  and  with  a 
brisk,  eager  step,  that  bore  no  resemblance  to  his  usual 
gait,  he  proceeded  to  make  the  circuit  of  the  garden. 
When  he  came  to  the  scene  of  Harry's  escalade,  his  eye 
was  at  once  arrested  by  a  broken  rosebud  and  marks 
of  trampling  on  the  mould.     He  looked  up,  and  saw 

138 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

scratches  on  the  brick,  and  a  rag  of  trouser  floating  from 
a  broken  bottle.  This,  then,  was  the  mode  of  entrance 
chosen  by  Mr.  Raeburn's  particular  friend !  It  was  thus 
that  General  Vandeleur's  secretary  came  to  admire  a  flow- 
er-garden !  The  young  clergyman  whistled  softly  to  him- 
self as  he  stooped  to  examine  the  ground.  He  could 
make  out  where  Harry  had  landed  from  his  perilous 
leap;  he  recognised  the  flat  foot  of  Mr.  Raeburn  where 
it  had  sunk  deeply  in  the  soil  as  he  pulled  up  the  secre- 
tary by  the  collar;  nay,  on  a  closer  inspection,  he  seemed 
to  distinguish  the  marks  of  groping  fingers,  as  though 
something  had  been  spilt  abroad  and  eagerly  collected. 

"Upon  my  word,"  he  thought,  "the  thing  grows 
vastly  interesting." 

And  just  then  he  caught  sight  of  something  almost  en- 
tirely buried  in  the  earth.  In  an  instant  he  had  disin- 
terred a  dainty  morocco  case,  ornamented  and  clasped 
in  gilt.  It  had  been  trodden  heavily  under  foot,  and  thus 
escaped  the  hurried  search  of  Mr.  Raeburn.  Mr.  Rolles 
opened  the  case,  and  drew  a  long  breath  of  almost  hor- 
rified astonishment ;  for  there  lay  before  him,  in  a  cradle 
of  green  velvet,  a  diamond  of  prodigious  magnitude  and 
of  the  finest  water.  It  was  of  the  bigness  of  a  duck's 
egg;  beautifully  shaped,  and  without  a  flaw;  and  as  the 
sun  shone  upon  it,  it  gave  forth  a  lustre  like  that  of  elec- 
tricity, and  seemed  to  burn  in  his  hand  with  a  thousand 
internal  fires. 

He  knew  little  of  precious  stones;  but  the  Rajah's 
Diamond  was  a  wonder  that  explained  itself;  a  village 
child,  if  he  found  it,  would  run  screaming  for  the  near- 
est cottage;  and  a  savage  would  prostrate  himself  in 
adoration  before  so  imposing  a  fetish.     The  beauty  of 

'39 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

the  stone  flattered  the  young  clergyman's  eyes;  the 
thought  of  its  incalculable  value  overpowered  his  intel- 
lect. He  knew  that  what  he  held  in  his  hand  was  worth 
more  than  many  years'  purchase  of  an  archiepiscopal  see; 
that  it  would  build  cathedrals  more  stately  than  Ely  or 
Cologne ;  that  he  who  possessed  it  was  set  free  for  ever 
from  the  primal  curse,  and  might  follow  his  own  incli- 
nations without  concern  or  hurry,  without  let  or  hin- 
drance. And  as  he  suddenly  turned  it,  the  rays  leaped 
forth  again  with  renewed  brilliancy,  and  seemed  to  pierce 
his  very  heart. 

Decisive  actions  are  often  taken  in  a  moment  and 
without  any  conscious  deliverance  from  the  rational 
parts  of  man.  So  it  was  now  with  Mr.  Rolles.  He 
glanced  hurriedly  round,  beheld,  like  Mr.  Raeburn  be- 
fore him,  nothing  but  the  sunlit  flower-garden,  the  tall 
tree-tops,  and  the  house  with  blinded  windows ;  and  in 
a  trice  he  had  shut  the  case,  thrust  it  into  his  pocket,  and 
was  hastening  to  his  study  with  the  speed  of  guilt. 

The  Reverend  Simon  Rolles  had  stolen  the  Rajah's 
Diamond. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  the  police  arrived  with  Harry 
Hartley.  The  nurseryman,  who  was  beside  himself 
with  terror,  readily  discovered  his  hoard ;  and  the  jewels 
were  identified  and  inventoried  in  the  presence  of  the 
secretary.  As  for  Mr.  Rolles,  he  showed  himself  in  a 
most  obliging  temper,  communicated  what  he  knew 
with  freedom,  and  professed  regret  that  he  could  do  no 
more  to  help  the  officers  in  their  duty. 

"  Still,"  he  added,  "  I  suppose  your  business  is  nearly 
at  an  end." 

"  By  no  means,"  replied  the  man  from  Scotland  Yard; 
140 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

and  he  narrated  the  second  robbery  of  which  Harry  had 
been  the  immediate  victim,  and  gave  the  young  clergy- 
man a  description  of  the  more  important  jewels  that 
were  still  not  found,  dilating  particularly  on  the  Rajah's 
Diamond. 

"It  must  be  worth  a  fortune,"  observed  Mr.  Rolles. 

"Ten  fortunes  —  twenty  fortunes,"  cried  the  officer. 

"The  more  it  is  worth,"  remarked  Simon,  shrewdly, 
''the  more  difficult  it  must  be  to  sell.  Such  a  thing  has 
a  physiognomy  not  to  be  disguised,  and  I  should  fancy 
a  man  might  as  easily  negotiate  St.  Paul's  Cathedral." 

"O,  truly!"  said  the  officer;  "but  if  the  thief  be  a 
man  of  any  intelligence,  he  will  cut  it  into  three  or  four, 
and  there  will  be  still  enough  to  make  him  rich." 

"Thank  you,"  said  the  clergyman.  "You  cannot 
imagine  how  much  your  conversation  interests  me." 

Whereupon  the  functionary  admitted  that  they  knew 
many  strange  things  in  his  profession,  and  immediately 
after  took  his  leave. 

Mr.  Rolles  regained  his  apartment.  It  seemed  smaller 
and  barer  than  usual ;  the  materials  for  his  great  work 
had  never  presented  so  little  interest;  and  he  looked 
upon  his  library  with  the  eye  of  scorn.  He  took  down, 
volume  by  volume,  several  Fathers  of  the  Church,  and 
glanced  them  through ;  but  they  contained  nothing  to 
his  purpose. 

"These  old  gentlemen,"  thought  he,  "are  no  doubt 
very  valuable  writers,  but  they  seem  to  me  conspicu- 
ously ignorant  of  life.  Here  am  I,  with  learning  enough 
to  be  a  Bishop,  and  I  positively  do  not  know  how  to 
dispose  of  a  stolen  diamond.  I  glean  a  hint  from  a 
common  policeman,  and,  with  all  my  folios,  I  cannot  so 

141 


NEW  ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

much  as  put  it  into  execution.  This  inspires  me  with 
very  low  ideas  of  University  training." 

Herewith  he  kicked  over  his  book-shelf  and,  putting 
on  his  hat,  hastened  from  the  house  to  the  club  of 
which  he  was  a  member.  In  such  a  place  of  mundane 
resort  he  hoped  to  find  some  man  of  good  counsel  and 
a  shrewd  experience  in  life.  In  the  reading-room  he 
saw  many  of  the  country  clergy  and  an  Archdeacon ; 
there  were  three  journalists  and  a  writer  upon  the 
Higher  Metaphysic,  playing  pool;  and  at  dinner  only 
the  raff  of  ordinary  club  frequenters  showed  their  com- 
mon-place and  obliterated  countenances.  None  of  these, 
thought  Mr.  Rolles,  would  know  more  on  dangerous 
topics  than  he  knew  himself ;  none  of  them  were  fit  to 
give  him  guidance  in  his  present  strait.  At  length,  in 
the  smoking-room,  up  many  weary  stairs,  he  hit  upon 
a  gentleman  of  somewhat  portly  build  and  dressed  with 
conspicuous  plainness.  He  was  smoking  a  cigar  and 
reading  the  Fortnightly  Review;  his  face  was  singularly 
free  from  all  sign  of  preoccupation  or  fatigue ;  and  there 
was  something  in  his  air  which  seemed  to  invite  confi- 
dence and  to  expect  submission.  The  more  the  young 
clergyman  scrutinized  his  features,  the  more  he  was  con- 
vinced that  he  had  fallen  on  one  capable  of  giving  per- 
tinent advice. 

"  Sir,"  said  he,  "  you  will  excuse  my  abruptness ;  but 
I  judge  you  from  your  appearance  to  be  preeminently  a 
man  of  the  world." 

"I  have  indeed  considerable  claims  to  that  distinc- 
tion," replied  the  stranger,  laying  aside  his  magazine 
with  a  look  of  mingled  amusement  and  surprise. 

"I,  sir,"  continued  the  Curate,  "am  a  recluse,  a  stu- 
142 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

dent,  a  creature  of  ink-bottles  and  patristic  folios.  A 
recent  event  has  brought  my  folly  vividly  before  my 
eyes,  and  I  desire  to  instruct  myself  in  life.  By  life," 
he  added,  "  I  do  not  mean  Thackeray's  novels;  but  the 
crimes  and  secret  possibilities  of  our  society,  and  the 
principles  of  wise  conduct  among  exceptional  events. 
I  am  a  patient  reader;  can  the  thing  be  learnt  in 
books  ?  " 

"  You  put  me  in  a  difficulty,"  said  the  stranger.  "  I 
confess  I  have  no  great  notion  of  the  use  of  books,  except 
to  amuse  a  railway  journey ;  although,  I  believe,  there 
are  some  very  exact  treatises  on  astronomy,  the  use  of 
the  globes,  agriculture,  and  the  art  of  making  paper- 
flowers.  Upon  the  less  apparent  provinces  of  life  I  fear 
you  will  find  nothing  truthful.  Yet  stay,"  he  added, 
M  have  you  read  Gaboriau  ?" 

Mr.  Rolles  admitted  he  had  never  even  heard  the 
name. 

"  You  may  gather  some  notions  from  Gaboriau,"  re- 
sumed the  stranger.  ''He  is  at  least  suggestive;  and 
as  he  is  an  author  much  studied  by  Prince  Bismarck,  you 
will,  at  the  worst,  lose  your  time  in  good  society." 

"Sir,"  said  the  Curate,  "I  am  infinitely  obliged  by 
your  politeness." 

"You  have  already  more  than  repaid  me,"  returned 
the  other. 

"  How  ?  "  inquired  Simon. 

"By  the  novelty  of  your  request,"  replied  the  gentle- 
man; and  with  a  polite  gesture,  as  though  to  ask  per- 
mission, he  resumed  the  study  of  the  Fortnightly  Review. 

On  his  way  home  Mr.  Rolles  purchased  a  work  on 
precious  stones  and  several  of  Gaboriau's  novels.    These 

143 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

last  he  eagerly  skimmed  until  an  advanced  hour  in  the 
morning;  but  although  they  introduced  him  to  many 
new  ideas,  he  could  nowhere  discover  what  to  do  with 
a  stolen  diamond.  He  was  annoyed,  moreover,  to  find 
the  information  scattered  amongst  romantic  story-tell- 
ing, instead  of  soberly  set  forth  after  the  manner  of  a 
manual ;  and  he  concluded  that,  even  if  the  writer  had 
thought  much  upon  these  subjects,  he  was  totally  lack- 
ing in  educational  method.  For  the  character  and  at- 
tainments of  Lecoq,  however,  he  was  unable  to  contain 
his  admiration. 

"He  was  truly  a  great  creature,"  ruminated  Mr. 
Rolles.  "  He  knew  the  world  as  I  know  Paley's  Evi- 
dences. There  was  nothing  that  he  could  not  carry 
to  a  termination  with  his  own  hand,  and  against  the 
largest  odds.  Heavens!"  he  broke  out  suddenly,  "is 
not  this  the  lesson  ?  Must  I  not  learn  to  cut  diamonds 
for  myself?" 

It  seemed  to  him  as  if  he  had  sailed  at  once  out  of  his 
perplexities;  he  remembered  that  he  knew  a  jeweller, 
one  B.  Macculloch,  in  Edinburgh,  who  would  be  glad 
to  put  him  in  the  way  of  the  necessary  training;  a  few 
months,  perhaps  a  few  years,  of  sordid  toil,  and  he 
would  be  sufficiently  expert  to  divide  and  sufficiently 
cunning  to  dispose  with  advantage  of  the  Rajah's  Dia- 
mond. That  done,  he  might  return  to  pursue  his  re- 
searches at  leisure,  a  wealthy  and  luxurious  student, 
envied  and  respected  by  all.  Golden  visions  attended 
him  through  his  slumber,  and  he  awoke  refreshed  and 
light-hearted  with  the  morning  sun. 

Mr.  Raeburn's  house  was  on  that  day  to  be  closed  by 
the  police,  and  this  afforded  a  pretext  for  his  departure. 

144 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

He  cheerfully  prepared  his  baggage,  transported  it  to 
King's  Cross,  where  he  left  it  in  the  cloak-room,  and 
returned  to  the  club  to  while  away  the  afternoon  and 
dine. 

"If  you  dine  here  to-day,  Rolles,"  observed  an  ac- 
quaintance, "you  may  see  two  of  the  most  remarkable 
men  in  England  —  Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia,  and  old 
Jack  Vandeleur." 

"  I  have  heard  of  the  Prince, "  replied  Mr.  Rolles ;  ' '  and 
General  Vandeleur  I  have  even  met  in  society." 

"General  Vandeleur  is  an  ass!"  returned  the  other. 
"This  is  his  brother  John,  the  biggest  adventurer,  the 
best  judge  of  precious  stones,  and  one  of  the  most  acute 
diplomatists  in  Europe.  Have  you  never  heard  of  his 
duel  with  the  Due  de  Val  d'Orge  ?  of  his  exploits  and 
atrocities  when  he  was  Dictator  of  Paraguay  ?  of  his  dex- 
terity in  recovering  Sir  Samuel  Levy's  jewelry  ?  nor  of 
his  services  in  the  Indian  Mutiny  —  services  by  which 
the  Government  profited,  but  which  the  Government 
dared  not  recognise  ?  You  make  me  wonder  what  we 
mean  by  fame,  or  even  by  infamy ;  for  Jack  Vandeleur 
has  prodigious  claims  to  both.  Run  down  stairs,"  he 
continued,  "take  a  table  near  them,  and  keep  your  ears 
open.  You  will  hear  some  strange  talk,  or  I  am  much 
misled." 

"  But  how  shall  I  know  them  ?  "  inquired  the  clergy- 
man. 

"Know  them!"  cried  his  friend;  "why,  the  Prince 
is  the  finest  gentleman  in  Europe,  the  only  living  crea- 
ture who  looks  like  a  king;  and  as  for  Jack  Vandeleur, 
if  you  can  imagine  Ulysses  at  seventy  years  of  age,  and 
with  a  sabre-cut  across  his  face,  you  have  the  man  be* 

M5 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

fore  you!  Know  them,  indeed!  Why,  you  could  pick 
either  of  them  out  of  a  Derby  day !  " 

Rolles  eagerly  hurried  to  the  dining-room.  It  was  as 
his  friend  had  asserted ;  it  was  impossible  to  mistake  the 
pair  in  question.  Old  John  Vandeleur  was  of  remark- 
able force  of  body,  and  obviously  broken  to  the  most 
difficult  exercises.  He  had  neither  the  carriage  of  a 
swordsman,  nor  of  a  sailor,  nor  yet  of  one  much  inured 
to  the  saddle;  but  something  made  up  of  all  these,  and 
the  result  and  expression  of  many  different  habits  and 
dexterities.  His  features  were  bold  and  aquiline;  his 
expression  arrogant  and  predatory;  his  whole  appear- 
ance that  of  a  swift,  violent,  unscrupulous  man  of  ac- 
tion ;  and  his  copious  white  hair  and  the  deep  sabre-cut 
that  traversed  his  nose  and  temple  added  a  note  of  sav- 
agery to  a  head  already  remarkable  and  menacing  in 
itself. 

In  his  companion,  the  Prince  of  Bohemia,  Mr.  Rolles 
was  astonished  to  recognise  the  gentleman  who  had 
recommended  him  the  study  of  Gaboriau.  Doubtless 
Prince  Florizel,  who  rarely  visited  the  club,  of  which, 
as  of  most  others,  he  was  an  honorary  member,  had 
been  waiting  for  John  Vandeleur  when  Simon  accosted 
him  on  the  previous  evening. 

The  other  diners  had  modestly  retired  into  the  angles 
of  the  room,  and  left  the  distinguished  pair  in  a  certain 
isolation,  but  the  young  clergyman  was  unrestrained  by 
any  sentiment  of  awe,  and,  marching  up,  took  his  place 
at  the  nearest  table. 

The  conversation  was,  indeed,  new  to  the  student's 
ears.  The  ex-Dictator  of  Paraguay  stated  many  extraor- 
dinary experiences  in  different  quarters  of  the  world; 

146 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

and  the  Prince  supplied  a  commentary  which,  to  a  man 
of  thought,  was  even  more  interesting  than  the  events 
themselves.  Two  forms  of  experience  were  thus  brought 
together  and  laid  before  the  young  clergyman ;  and  he 
did  not  know  which  to  admire  the  most  —  the  desper- 
ate actor  or  the  skilled  expert  in  life;  the  man  who  spoke 
boldly  of  his  own  deeds  and  perils,  or  the  man  who 
seemed,  like  a  god,  to  know  all  things  and  to  have  suf- 
fered nothing.  The  manner  of  each  aptly  fitted  with  his 
part  in  the  discourse.  The  Dictator  indulged  in  brutal- 
ities alike  of  speech  and  gesture ;  his  hand  opened  and 
shut  and  fell  roughly  on  the  table ;  and  his  voice  was 
loud  and  heady.  The  Prince,  on  the  other  hand,  seemed 
the  very  type  of  urbane  docility  and  quiet;  the  least 
movement,  the  least  inflection,  had  with  him  a  weightier 
significance  than  all  the  shouts  and  pantomime  of  his 
companion;  and  if  ever,  as  must  frequently  have  been 
the  case,  he  described  some  experience  personal  to  him- 
self, it  was  so  aptly  dissimulated  as  to  pass  unnoticed 
with  the  rest. 

At  length  the  talk  wandered  on  to  the  late  robberies 
and  the  Rajah's  Diamond. 

"  That  diamond  would  be  better  in  the  sea,"  observed 
Prince  Florizel. 

"As  a  Vandeleur,"  replied  the  Dictator,  "your  High- 
ness may  imagine  my  dissent." 

"  I  speak  on  grounds  of  public  policy,"  pursued  the 
Prince.  "Jewels  so  valuable  should  be  reserved  for  the 
collection  of  a  Prince  or  the  treasury  of  a  great  nation. 
To  hand  them  about  among  the  common  sort  of  men  is 
to  set  a  price  on  Virtue's  head ;  and  if  the  Rajah  of  Kash- 
gar  —  a  Prince,  I  understand,  of  great  enlightenment  — 

147 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

desired  vengeance  upon  the  men  of  Europe,  he  could 
hardly  have  gone  more  efficaciously  about  his  purpose 
than  by  sending  us  this  apple  of  discord.  There  is  no 
honesty  too  robust  for  such  a  trial.  I  myself,  who  have 
many  duties  and  privileges  of  my  own  —  I  myself,  Mr. 
Vandeleur,  could  scarcely  handle  the  intoxicating  crystal 
and  be  safe.  As  for  you,  who  are  a  diamond  hunter  by 
taste  and  profession,  I  do  not  believe  there  is  a  crime  in 
the  calendar  you  would  not  perpetrate  —  I  do  not  believe 
you  have  a  friend  in  the  world  whom  you  would  not 
eagerly  betray  —  I  do  not  know  if  you  have  a  family,  but 
if  you  have  I  declare  you  would  sacrifice  your  children  — 
and  all  this  for  what  ?  Not  to  be  richer,  nor  to  have 
more  comforts  or  more  respect,  but  simply  to  call  this 
diamond  yours  for  a  year  or  two  until  you  die,  and  now 
and  again  to  open  a  safe  and  look  at  it  as  one  looks  at  a 
picture. " 

' 'It  is  true,"  replied  Vandeleur.  "I  have  hunted 
most  things,  from  men  and  women  down  to  mosquitos ; 
I  have  dived  for  coral ;  I  have  followed  both  whales  and 
tigers ;  and  a  diamond  is  the  tallest  quarry  of  the  lot. 
It  has  beauty  and  worth ;  it  alone  can  properly  reward 
the  ardours  of  the  chase.  At  this  moment,  as  your  High- 
ness may  fancy,  I  am  upon  the  trail ;  I  have  a  sure  knack, 
a  wide  experience;  I  know  every  stone  of  price  in  my 
brother's  collection  as  a  shepherd  knows  his  sheep ;  and 
I  wish  I  may  die  if  I  do  not  recover  them  every  one! " 

"  Sir  Thomas  Vandeleur  will  have  great  cause  to  thank 
you,"  said  the  Prince. 

"  I  am  not  so  sure,"  returned  the  Dictator,  with  a  laugh. 
' '  One  of  the  Vandeleurs  will.  Thomas  or  John  —  Petef 
or  Paul  —  we  are  all  apostles." 

148 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

"I  did  not  catch  your  observation,"  said  the  Prince 
with  some  disgust. 

And  at  the  same  moment  the  waiter  informed  Mr. 
Vandeleur  that  his  cab  was  at  the  door. 

Mr.  Rolles  glanced  at  the  clock,  and  saw  that  he  also 
must  be  moving;  and  the  coincidence  struck  him  sharply 
and  unpleasantly,  for  he  desired  to  see  no  more  of  the 
diamond  hunter. 

Much  study  having  somewhat  shaken  the  young 
man's  nerves,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  travelling  in  the 
most  luxurious  manner;  and  for  the  present  journey  he 
had  taken  a  sofa  in  the  sleeping  carriage. 

"You  will  be  very  comfortable,"  said  the  guard; 
"there  is  no  one  in  your  compartment,  and  only  one 
old  gentleman  in  the  other  end." 

It  was  close  upon  the  hour,  and  the  tickets  were  being 
examined,  when  Mr.  Rolles  beheld  this  other  fellow-pas- 
senger ushered  by  several  porters  into  his  place;  cer- 
tainly, there  was  not  another  man  in  the  world  whom 
he  would  not  have  preferred  —  for  it  was  old  John  Van- 
deleur, the  ex-Dictator. 

The  sleeping  carriages  on  the  Great  Northern  line 
were  divided  into  three  compartments  —  one  at  each 
end  for  travelers,  and  one  in  the  centre  fitted  with  the 
conveniences  of  a  lavatory.  A  door  running  in  grooves 
separated  each  of  the  others  from  the  lavatory ;  but  as 
there  were  neither  bolts  nor  locks,  the  whole  suite  was 
practically  common  ground. 

When  Mr.  Rolles  had  studied  his  position,  he  perceived 
himself  without  defence.  If  the  Dictator  chose  to  pay 
him  a  visit  in  the  course  of  the  night,  he  could  do  no  less 
than  receive  it ;  he  had  no  means  of  fortification,  and  lay 

149 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

open  to  attack  as  if  he  had  been  lying  in  the  fields.  This 
situation  caused  him  some  agony  of  mind.  He  recalled 
with  alarm  the  boastful  statements  of  his  fellow-traveller 
across  the  dining-table,  and  the  professions  of  immo- 
rality which  he  had  heard  him  offering  to  the  disgusted 
Prince.  Some  persons,  he  remembered  to  have  read, 
are  endowed  with  a  singular  quickness  of  perception 
for  the  neighbourhood  of  precious  metals  ;  through 
walls  and  even  at  considerable  distances  they  are  said 
to  divine  the  presence  of  gold.  Might  it  not  be  the 
same  with  diamonds  ?  he  wondered  ;  and  if  so,  who 
was  more  likely  to  enjoy  this  transcendental  sense  than 
the  person  who  gloried  in  the  appellation  of  the  Diamond 
Hunter  ?  From  such  a  man  he  recognised  that  he  had 
everything  to  fear,  and  longed  eagerly  for  the  arrival  of 
the  day. 

In  the  meantime  he  neglected  no  precaution,  concealed 
his  diamond  in  the  most  internal  pocket  of  a  system  of 
great-coats,  and  devoutly  recommended  himself  to  the 
care  of  Providence. 

The  train  pursued  its  usual  even  and  rapid  course; 
and  nearly  half  the  journey  had  been  accomplished  be- 
fore slumber  began  to  triumph  over  uneasiness  in  the 
breast  of  Mr.  Rolles.  For  some  time  he  resisted  its  in- 
fluence; but  it  grew  upon  him  more  and  more,  and  a 
little  before  York  he  was  fain  to  stretch  himself  upon  one 
of  the  couches  and  suffer  his  eyes  to  close;  and  almost 
at  the  same  instant  consciousness  deserted  the  young 
clergyman.  His  last  thought  was  of  his  terrifying 
neighbour. 

When  he  awoke  it  was  still  pitch  dark,  except  for  the 
flicker  of  the  veiled  lamp ;  and  the  continual  roaring  and 

150 


THE  RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

oscillation  testified  to  the  unrelaxed  velocity  of  the  train. 
He  sat  upright  in  a  panic,  for  he  had  been  tormented  by 
the  most  uneasy  dreams ;  it  was  some  seconds  before  he 
recovered  his  self-command;  and  even  after  he  had  re- 
sumed a  recumbent  attitude  sleep  continued  to  flee  him, 
and  he  lay  awake  with  his  brain  in  a  state  of  violent 
agitation,  and  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  lavatory  door. 
He  pulled  his  clerical  felt  hat  over  his  brow  still  farther 
to  shield  him  from  the  light;  and  he  adopted  the  usual 
expedients,  such  as  counting  a  thousand  or  banishing 
thought,  by  which  experienced  invalids  are  accustomed 
to  woo  the  approach  of  sleep.  In  the  case  of  Mr.  Rolles 
they  proved  one  and  all  vain;  he  was  harassed  by  a 
dozen  different  anxieties  —  the  old  man  in  the  other  end 
of  the  carriage  haunted  him  in  the  most  alarming  shapes; 
and  in  whatever  attitude  he  chose  to  lie  the  diamond  in 
his  pocket  occasioned  him  a  sensible  physical  distress. 
It  burned,  it  was  too  large,  it  bruised  his  ribs ;  and  there 
were  infinitesimal  fractions  of  a  second  in  which  he  had 
half  a  mind  to  throw  it  from  the  window. 

While  he  was  thus  lying,  a  strange  incident  took 
place. 

The  sliding-door  into  the  lavatory  stirred  a  little,  and 
then  a  little  more,  and  was  finally  drawn  back  for  the 
space  of  about  twenty  inches.  The  lamp  in  the  lavatory 
was  unshaded,  and  in  the  lighted  aperture  thus  disclosed, 
Mr.  Rolles  could  see  the  head  of  Mr.  Vandeleur  in  an  at- 
titude of  deep  attention.  He  was  conscious  that  the 
gaze  of  the  Dictator  rested  intently  on  his  own  face;  and 
the  instinct  of  self-preservation  moved  him  to  hold  his 
breath,  to  refrain  from  the  least  movement,  and  keeping 
his  eyes  lowered,  to  watch  his  visitor  from  underneath 

151 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

the  lashes.  After  about  a  moment,  the  head  was  with- 
drawn and  the  door  of  the  lavatory  replaced. 

The  Dictator  had  not  come  to  attack,  but  to  observe ; 
his  action  was  not  that  of  a  man  threatening  another, 
but  that  of  a  man  who  was  himself  threatened ;  if  Mr. 
Rolles  was  afraid  of  him,  it  appeared  that  he,  in  his  turn, 
was  not  quite  easy  on  the  score  of  Mr.  Rolles.  He  had 
come,  it  would  seem,  to  make  sure  that  his  only  fellow- 
traveller  was  asleep ;  and,  when  satisfied  on  that  point, 
he  had  at  once  withdrawn. 

The  clergyman  leaped  to  his  feet.  The  extreme  of 
terror  had  given  place  to  a  reaction  of  foolhardy  daring. 
He  reflected  that  the  rattle  of  the  flying  train  concealed 
all  other  sounds,  and  determined,  come  what  might,  to 
return  the  visit  he  had  just  received.  Divesting  himself 
of  his  cloak,  which  might  have  interfered  with  the  free- 
dom of  his  action,  he  entered  the  lavatory  and  paused 
to  listen.  As  he  had  expected,  there  was  nothing  to  be 
heard  above  the  roar  of  the  train's  progress ;  and  laying 
his  hand  on  the  door  at  the  farther  side,  he  proceeded 
cautiously  to  draw  it  back  for  about  six  inches.  Then 
he  stopped,  and  could  not  contain  an  ejaculation  of  sur- 
prise. 

John  Vandeleur  wore  a  fur  travelling  cap  with  lappets 
to  protect  his  ears ;  and  this  may  have  combined  with 
the  sound  of  the  express  to  keep  him  in  ignorance  of 
what  was  going  forward.  It  is  certain,  at  least,  that  he 
did  not  raise  his  head,  but  continued  without  interrup- 
tion to  pursue  his  strange  employment.  Between  his 
feet  stood  an  open  hat-box;  in  one  hand  he  held  the 
sleeve  of  his  sealskin  great-coat ;  in  the  other  a  formi- 
dable knife,  with  which  he  had  just  split  up  the  lining  of 

152 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

the  sleeve.  Mr.  Rolles  had  read  of  persons  carrying 
money  in  a  belt;  and  as  he  had  no  acquaintance  with 
any  but  cricket-belts,  he  had  never  been  able  rightly  to 
conceive  how  this  was  managed.  But  here  was  a 
stranger  thing  before  his  eyes;  for  John  Vandeleur,  it 
appeared,  carried  diamonds  in  the  lining  of  his  sleeve ; 
and  even  as  the  young  clergyman  gazed,  he  could  see 
one  glittering  brilliant  drop  after  another  into  the  hat-box. 

He  stood  riveted  to  the  spot,  following  this  unusual 
business  with  his  eyes.  The  diamonds  were,  for  the 
most  part,  small,  and  not  easily  distinguishable  either  in 
shape  or  fire.  Suddenly  the  Dictator  appeared  to  find  a 
difficulty;  he  employed  both  hands  and  stooped  over 
his  task;  but  it  was  not  until  after  considerable  ma- 
noeuvring that  he  extricated  a  large  tiara  of  diamonds 
from  the  lining,  and  held  it  up  for  some  seconds'  exami- 
nation before  he  placed  it  with  the  others  in  the  hat-box. 
The  tiara  was  a  ray  of  light  to  Mr.  Rolles ;  he  immediately 
recognised  it  for  a  part  of  the  treasure  stolen  from  Harry 
Hartley  by  the  loiterer.  There  was  no  room  for  mistake ; 
it  was  exactly  as  the  detective  had  described  it;  there 
were  the  ruby  stars,  with  a  great  emerald  in  the  centre ; 
there  were  the  interlacing  crescents ;  and  there  were  the 
pear-shaped  pendants,  each  a  single  stone,  which  gave  a 
special  value  to  Lady  Vandeleur's  tiara. 

Mr.  Rolles  was  hugely  relieved.  The  Dictator  was 
as  deeply  in  the  affair  as  he  was;  neither  could  tell 
tales  upon  the  other.  In  the  first  glow  of  happiness,  the 
clergyman  suffered  a  deep  sigh  to  escape  him;  and  as 
his  bosom  had  become  choked  and  his  throat  dry  during 
his  previous  suspense,  the  sigh  was  followed  by  a  cough. 

Mr.  Vandeleur  looked  up;  his  face  contracted  with 
153 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

the  blackest  and  most  deadly  passion ;  his  eyes  opened 
widely,  and  his  under  jaw  dropped  in  an  astonishment 
that  was  upon  the  brink  of  fury.  By  an  instinctive  move- 
ment he  had  covered  the  hat-box  with  the  coat.  For  half 
a  minute  the  two  men  stared  upon  each  other  in  silence. 
It  was  not  a  long  interval,  but  it  sufficed  for  Mr.  Rolles ; 
he  was  one  of  those  who  think  swiftly  on  dangerous  oc- 
casions ;  he  decided  on  a  course  of  action  of  a  singularly 
daring  nature ;  and  although  he  felt  he  was  setting  his  life 
upon  the  hazard,  he  was  the  first  to  break  silence. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  he. 

The  Dictator  shivered  slightly,  and  when  he  spoke 
his  voice  was  hoarse. 

"  What  do  you  want  here  ?"  he  asked. 

"I  take  a  particular  interest  in  diamonds,"  replied 
Mr.  Rolles,  with  an  air  of  perfect  self-possession.  ' '  Two 
connoisseurs  should  be  acquainted.  I  have  here  a  trifle  of 
my  own  which  may  perhaps  serve  for  an  introduction." 

And  so  saying,  he  quietly  took  the  case  from  his 
pocket,  showed  the  Rajah's  Diamond  to  the  Dictator 
for  an  instant,  and  replace  d  it  in  security. 

"It  was  once  your  brother's,"  he  added. 

John  Vandeleur  continued  to  regard  him  with  a  look 
of  almost  painful  amazement;  but  he  neither  spoke  nor 
moved. 

"  I  was  pleased  to  observe,"  resumed  the  young  man, 
"  that  we  have  gems  from  the  same  collection." 

The  Dictator's  surprise  overpowered  him. 

'  *  I  beg  your  pardon, "  he  said ; ' '  I  begin  to  perceive  that 
I  am  growing  old !  I  am  positively  not  prepared  for  little  in- 
cidents like  this.  But  set  my  mind  at  rest  upon  one  point : 
do  my  eyes  deceive  me,  or  are  you  indeed  a  parson  ?  " 

»54 


THE  RAJAH'S  DIAMOND 

"  I  am  in  holy  orders,"  answered  Mr.  Rolles. 

"  Well,"  cried  the  other,  "  as  long  as  I  live  I  will  never 
hear  another  word  against  the  cloth! " 

"  You  flatter  me,"  said  Mr.  Rolles. 

• '  Pardon  me, "  replied  Vandeleur ; ■  ■  pardon  me,  young 
man.  You  are  no  coward,  but  it  still  remains  to  be 
seen  whether  you  are  not  the  worst  of  fools.  Per- 
haps," he  continued,  leaning  back  upon  his  seat,  "per- 
haps you  would  oblige  me  with  a  few  particulars.  I 
must  suppose  you  had  some  object  in  the  stupefying  im- 
pudence of  your  proceedings,  and  I  confess  I  have  a 
curiosity  to  know  it." 

"  It  is  very  simple,"  replied  the  clergyman;  "  it  pro- 
ceeds from  my  great  inexperience  of  life." 

"  I  shall  be  glad  to  be  persuaded,"  answered  Vande- 
leur. 

Whereupon  Mr.  Rolles  told  him  the  whole  story  of 
his  connection  with  the  Rajah's  Diamond,  from  the  time 
he  found  it  in  Raeburn's  garden,  to  the  time  when  he 
left  London  in  the  Flying  Scotchman.  He  added  a  brief 
sketch  of  his  feelings  and  thoughts  during  the  journey, 
and  concluded  in  these  words : — 

"When  I  recognised  the  tiara  I  knew  we  were  in  the 
same  attitude  towards  Society,  and  this  inspired  me  with 
a  hope,  which  I  trust  you  will  say  was  not  ill-founded, 
that  you  might  become  in  some  sense  my  partner  in  the 
difficulties  and,  of  course,  the  profits  of  my  situation. 
To  one  of  your  special  knowledge  and  obviously  great 
experience  the  negotiation  of  the  diamond  would  give 
but  little  trouble,  while  to  me  it  was  a  matter  of  impos- 
sibility. On  the  other  part,  I  judged  that  I  might  lose 
nearly  as  much  by  cutting  the  diamond,  and  that  not 

155 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

improbably  with  an  unskilful  hand,  as  might  enable  me 
to  pay  you  with  proper  generosity  for  your  assistance. 
The  subject  was  a  delicate  one  to  broach ;  and  perhaps 
1  fell  short  in  delicacy.  But  I  must  ask  you  to  remem- 
ber that  for  me  the  situation  was  a  new  one,  and  I  was 
entirely  unacquainted  with  the  etiquette  in  use.  I  be- 
lieve without  vanity  that  I  could  have  married  or  bap- 
tised you  in  a  very  acceptable  manner;  but  every  man 
has  his  own  aptitudes,  and  this  sort  of  bargain  was  not 
among  the  list  of  my  accomplishments." 

"\  do  not  wish  to  flatter  you,"  replied  Vandeleur; 
"but  upon  my  word  you  have  an  unusual  disposition 
for  a  life  of  crime.  You  have  more  accomplishments 
than  you  imagine;  and  though  I  have  encountered  a 
number  of  rogues  in  different  quarters  of  the  world,  I 
never  met  with  one  so  unblushing  as  yourself.  Cheer 
up,  Mr.  Rolles,  you  are  in  the  right  profession  at  last! 
As  for  helping  you,  you  may  command  me  as  you  will. 
I  have  only  a  day's  business  in  Edinburgh  on  a  little 
matter  for  my  brother ;  and  once  that  is  concluded.,  I  re- 
turn to  Paris,  where  I  usually  reside.  If  you  please,  you 
may  accompany  me  thither.  And  before  the  end  of  a 
month  I  believe  I  shall  have  brought  your  little  business 
to  a  satisfactory  conclusion." 

(At  this  point,  contrary  to  all  the  canons  of  his  art,  out- 
Arabian  Author  breaks  off  the  Story  of  the  Young 
Man  in  Holy  Orders.  /  regret  and  condemn  such 
practices  ;  but  I  must  follow  my  original,  and  refer  the 
reader  for  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Rolles' s  adventures  to 
the  next  number  of  the  cycle,  the  Story  of  the  House 
with  the  Green  Blinds.) 

156 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  HOUSE  WITH  THE 
GREEN  BLINDS 

Francis  Scrymgeour,  a  clerk  in  the  Bank  of  Scotland 
at  Edinburgh,  had  attained  the  age  of  twenty-five  in  a 
sphere  of  quiet,  creditable,  and  domestic  life.  His  mother 
died  while  he  was  young;  but  his  father,  a  man  of  sense 
and  probity,  had  given  him  an  excellent  education  at 
school,  and  brought  him  up  at  home  to  orderly  and  frugal 
habits.  Francis,  who  was  of  a  docile  and  affectionate 
disposition,  profited  by  these  advantages  with  zeal,  and 
devoted  himself  heart  and  soul  to  his  employment.  A 
walk  upon  Saturday  afternoon,  an  occasional  dinner  with 
members  of  his  family,  and  a  yearly  tour  of  a  fortnight 
in  the  Highlands  or  even  on  the  continent  of  Europe, 
were  his  principal  distractions,  and  he  grew  rapidly  in 
favour  with  his  superiors,  and  enjoyed  already  a  salary 
of  nearly  two  hundred  pounds  a  year,  with  the  prospect 
of  an  ultimate  advance  to  almost  double  that  amount. 
Few  young  men  were  more  contented,  few  more  willing 
and  laborious  than  Francis  Scrymgeour.  Sometimes  at 
night,  when  he  had  read  the  daily  paper,  he  would  play 
upon  the  flute  to  amuse  his  father,  for  whose  qualities 
he  entertained  a  great  respect. 

One  day  he  received  a  note  from  a  well-known  firm 
of  Writers  to  the  Signet,  requesting  the  favour  of  an  im- 

»57 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

mediate  interview  with  him.  The  latter  was  marked 
"  Private  and  Confidential,"  and  had  been  addressed  to 
him  at  the  bank,  instead  of  at  home  —  two  unusual  cir- 
cumstances which  made  him  obey  the  summons  with 
the  more  alacrity.  The  senior  member  of  the  firm,  a 
man  of  much  austerity  of  manner,  made  him  gravely 
welcome,  requested  him  to  take  a  seat,  and  proceeded 
to  explain  the  matter  in  hand  in  the  picked  expressions 
of  a  veteran  man  of  business.  A  person,  who  must  re- 
main nameless,  but  of  whom  the  lawyer  had  every 
reason  to  think  well  —  a  man,  in  short,  of  some  station 
in  the  country  —  desired  to  make  Francis  an  annual  al- 
lowance of  five  hundred  pounds.  The  capital  was  to  be 
placed  under  the  control  ot  the  lawyer's  firm  and  two 
trustees  who  must  also  remain  anonymous.  There  were 
conditions  annexed  to  this  liberality,  but  he  was  of 
opinion  that  his  new  client  would  find  nothing  either 
excessive  or  dishonourable  in  the  terms ;  and  he  repeated 
these  two  words  with  emphasis,  as  though  he  desired 
to  commit  himself  to  nothing  more. 

Francis  asked  their  nature. 

"The  conditions,"  said  the  Writer  to  the  Signet,  "are, 
as  I  have  twice  remarked,  neither  dishonourable  nor  ex- 
cessive. At  the  same  time  I  cannot  conceal  from  you 
that  they  are  most  unusual.  Indeed,  the  whole  case  is 
very  much  out  of  our  way;  and  I  should  certainly  have 
refused  it  had  it  not  been  for  the  reputation  of  the  gen- 
tleman who  entrusted  it  to  my  care,  and,  let  me  add,  Mr. 
Scrymgeour,  the  interest  I  have  been  led  to  take  in  your- 
self by  many  complimentary  and,  I  have  no  doubt,  well- 
deserved  reports." 

Francis  entreated  him  to  be  more  specific. 
158 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

"  You  cannot  picture  my  uneasiness  as  to  these  con- 
ditions," he  said. 

"They  are  two,"  replied  the  lawyer,  " only  two;  and 
the  sum,  as  you  will  remember,  is  five  hundred  a  year, 
—  and  unburdened,  I  forgot  to  add,  unburdened." 

And  the  lawyer  raised  his  eyebrows  at  him  with 
solemn  gusto. 

"The  first,"  he  resumed,  "is  of  remarkable  simpli- 
city. You  must  be  in  Paris  by  the  afternoon  of  Sunday, 
the  1 5th ;  there  you  will  find,  at  the  box-office  of  the 
Comedie  Francaise,  a  ticket  for  admission  taken  in  your 
name  and  waiting  you.  You  are  requested  to  sit  out 
the  whole  performance  in  the  seat  provided,  and  that 
is  all." 

"  I  should  certainly  have  preferred  a  week-day,"  re- 
plied Francis.     "  But,  after  all,  once  in  a  way " 

"And  in  Paris,  my  dear  sir,"  added  the  lawyer, 
soothingly.  "I  believe  I  am  something  of  a  precisian 
myself,  but  upon  such  a  consideration,  and  in  Paris,  I 
should  not  hesitate  an  instant." 

And  the  pair  laughed  pleasantly  together. 

"The  other  is  of  more  importance,"  continued  the 
Writer  to  the  Signet.  "  It  regards  your  marriage.  My 
client,  taking  a  deep  interest  in  your  welfare,  desires  to 
advise  you  absolutely  in  the  choice  of  a  wife.  Abso- 
lutely, you  understand,"  he  repeated. 

"Let  us  be  more  explicit,  if  you  please,"  returned 
Francis.  "Am  I  to  marry  anyone,  maid  or  widow, 
black  or  white,  whom  this  invisible  person  chooses  to 
propose  ?  " 

1 '  I  was  to  assure  you  that  suitability  of  age  and  posi- 
tion should  be  a  principle  with  your  benefactor,"  replied 

159 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

the  lawyer.  "As  to  race,  I  confess  the  difficulty  had 
not  occurred  to  me,  and  I  failed  to  inquire ;  but  if  you 
like  I  will  make  a  note  of  it  at  once,  and  advise  you  on 
the  earliest  opportunity." 

"Sir,"  said  Francis,  "it  remains  to  be  seen  whether 
this  whole  affair  is  not  a  most  unworthy  fraud.  The 
circumstances  are  inexplicable — I  had  almost  said  in- 
credible; and  until  I  see  a  little  more  daylight,  and  some 
plausible  motive,  I  confess  I  should  be  very  sorry  to  put 
a  hand  to  the  transaction.  I  appeal  to  you  in  this  diffi- 
culty for  information.  I  must  learn  what  is  at  the  bot- 
tom of  it  all.  If  you  do  not  know,  cannot  guess,  or  are 
not  at  liberty  to  tell  me,  I  shall  take  my  hat  and  go  back 
to  my  bank  as  I  came." 

"  I  do  not  know,"  answered  the  lawyer,  "but  I  have 
an  excellent  guess.  Your  father,  and  no  one  else,  is  at 
the  root  of  this  apparently  unnatural  business." 

"My  father!"  cried  Francis,  in  extreme  disdain. 
"Worthy  man,  I  know  every  thought  of  his  mind, 
every  penny  of  his  fortune!" 

"  You  misinterpret  my  words,"  said  the  lawyer.  •'  I 
do  not  refer  to  Mr.  Scrymgeour,  senior;  for  he  is  not 
your  father.  When  he  and  his  wife  came  to  Edinburgh, 
you  were  already  nearly  one  year  old,  and  you  had  not 
yet  been  three  months  in  their  care.  The  secret  has 
been  well  kept ;  but  such  is  the  fact,  Your  father  is  un- 
known, and  I  say  again  that  I  believe  him  to  be  the  origi- 
nal of  the  offers  I  am  charged  at  present  to  transmit  to 
you." 

It  would  be  impossible  to  exaggerate  the  astonishment 
of  Francis  Scrymgeour  at  this  unexpected  information. 
He  pleaded  this  confusion  to  the  lawyer. 

160 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

"Sir,"  said  he,  "after  a  piece  of  news  so  startling, 
you  must  grant  me  some  hours  for  thought.  You  shall 
know  this  evening  what  conclusion  I  have  reached." 

The  lawyer  commended  his  prudence;  and  Francis, 
excusing  himself  upon  some  pretext  at  the  bank,  took  a 
long  walk  into  the  country,  and  fully  considered  the  dif- 
ferent steps  and  aspects  of  the  case.  A  pleasant  sense 
of  his  own  importance  rendered  him  the  more  deliberate ; 
but  the  issue  was  from  the  first  not  doubtful.  His  whole 
carnal  man  leaned  irresistibly  towards  the  five  hundred 
a  year,  and  the  strange  conditions  with  which  it  was 
burdened;  he  discovered  in  his  heart  an  invincible  re- 
pugnance to  the  name  of  Scrymgeour,  which  he  had 
never  hitherto  disliked ;  he  began  to  despise  the  narrow 
and  unromantic  interest  of  his  former  life ;  and  when  once 
his  mind  was  fairly  made  up,  he  walked  with  a  new 
feeling  of  strength  and  freedom,  and  nourished  himself 
with  the  gayest  anticipations. 

He  said  but  a  word  to  the  lawyer,  and  immediately 
received  a  check  for  two  quarters'  arrears ;  for  the  allow- 
ance was  ante-dated  from  the  first  of  January.  With 
this  in  his  pocket,  he  walked  home.  The  flat  in  Scot- 
land Street  looked  mean  in  his  eyes ;  his  nostrils,  for  the 
first  time,  rebelled  against  the  odour  of  broth ;  and  he 
observed  little  defects  of  manner  in  his  adoptive  father 
which  filled  him  with  surprise  and  almost  with  disgust. 
The  next  day,  he  determined,  should  see  him  on  his  way 
to  Paris. 

In  that  city,  where  he  arrived  long  before  the  appointed 
date,  he  put  up  at  a  modest  hotel  frequented  by  English 
and  Italians,  and  devoted  himself  to  improvement  in  the 
French  tongue ;  for  this  purpose  he  had  a  master  twice 

161 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

a  week,  entered  into  conversation  with  loiterers  in  the 
Champs  Elysees,  and  nightly  frequented  the  theatre. 
He  had  his  whole  toilette  fashionably  renewed;  and  was 
shaved  and  had  his  hair  dressed  every  morning  by  a 
barber  in  a  neighbouring  street.  This  gave  him  some- 
thing of  a  foreign  air,  and  seemed  to  wipe  off  the  re- 
proach of  his  past  years. 

At  length,  on  the  Saturday  afternoon,  he  betook  him- 
self to  the  box-office  of  the  theatre  in  the  Rue  Richelieu. 
No  sooner  had  he  mentioned  his  name  than  the  clerk 
produced  the  order  in  an  envelope  of  which  the  address 
was  scarcely  dry. 

M  It  has  been  taken  this  moment,"  said  the  clerk. 

1 '  Indeed ! "  said  Francis.  ' '  May  I  ask  what  the  gentle- 
man was  like  ?  " 

"Your  friend  is  easy  to  describe,"  replied  the  official. 
"He  is  old  and  strong  and  beautiful,  with  white  hair 
and  a  sabre-cut  across  his  face.  You  cannot  fail  to 
recognise  so  marked  a  person." 

"No,  indeed,"  returned  Francis;  "and  I  thank  you 
for  your  politeness." 

"  He  cannot  yet  be  far  distant,"  added  the  clerk.  "If 
you  make  haste  you  might  still  overtake  him." 

Francis  did  not  wait  to  be  twice  told;  he  ran  pre- 
cipitately from  the  theatre  into  the  middle  of  the  street 
and  looked  in  all  directions.  More  than  one  white-haired 
man  was  within  sight;  but  though  he  overtook  each  of 
them  in  succession,  all  wanted  the  sabre-cut.  For  nearly 
half-an-hour  he  tried  one  street  after  another  in  the 
neighbourhood,  until  at  length,  recognising  the  folly  of 
continued  search,  he  started  on  a  walk  to  compose  his 
agitated  feelings;   for  this  proximity  of  an  encounter 

162 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

with  him  to  whom  he  could  not  doubt  he  owed  the  day- 
had  profoundly  moved  the  young  man. 

It  chanced  that  his  way  lay  up  the  Rue  Drouot  and 
thence  up  the  Rue  des  Martyrs;  and  chance,  in  this 
case,  served  him  better  than  all  the  forethought  in  the 
world.  For  on  the  outer  boulevard  he  saw  two  men 
in  earnest  colloquy  upon  a  seat.  One  was  dark,  young, 
and  handsome,  secularly  dressed,  but  with  an  indelible 
clerical  stamp;  the  other  answered  in  every  particular 
to  the  description  given  him  by  the  clerk.  Francis  felt 
his  heart  beat  high  in  his  bosom ;  he  knew  he  was  now 
about  to  hear  the  voice  of  his  father ;  and  making  a 
wide  circuit,  he  noiselessly  took  his  place  behind  the 
couple  in  question,  who  were  too  much  interested  in 
their  talk  to  observe  much  else.  As  Francis  had  ex- 
pected, the  conversation  was  conducted  in  the  English 
language. 

"Your  suspicions  begin  to  annoy  me,  Rolles,"  said 
the  older  man.  "I  tell  you  I  am  doing  my  utmost;  a 
man  cannot  lay  his  hand  on  millions  in  a  moment. 
Have  I  not  taken  you  up,  a  mere  stranger,  out  of  pure 
good  will  ?    Are  you  not  living  largely  on  my  bounty  ?  " 

"On  your  advances,  Mr.  Vandeleur,"  corrected  the 
other. 

"Advances,  if  you  choose;  and  interest  instead  of 
good-will,  if  you  prefer  it, "  returned  Vandeleur,  angrily. 
"  I  am  not  here  to  pick  expressions.  Business  is  busi- 
ness; and  your  business,  let  me  remind  you,  is  too 
muddy  for  such  airs.  Trust  me,  or  leave  me  alone  and 
find  someone  else;  but  let  us  have  an  end,  for  God's 
sake,  of  your  jeremiads." 

"I  am  beginning  to  learn  the  world,"  replied  the 
163 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

other,  ' '  and  I  see  that  you  have  every  reason  to  play 
me  false,  and  not  one  to  deal  honestly.  I  am  not  here 
to  pick  expressions  either;  you  wish  the  diamond  for 
yourself:  you  know  you  do  —  you  dare  not  deny  it. 
Have  you  not  already  forged  my  name,  and  searched 
my  lodging  in  my  absence  ?  I  understand  the  cause 
of  your  delays;  you  are  lying  in  wait;  you  are  the 
diamond-hunter,  forsooth;  and  sooner  or  later,  by  fair 
means  or  foul,  you'll  lay  your  hands  upon  it.  I  tell 
you,  it  must  stop ;  push  me  much  further  and  I  promise 
you  a  surprise. " 

"It  does  not  become  you  to  use  threats,"  returned 
Vandeleur.  "Two  can  play  at  that.  My  brother  is 
here  in  Paris;  the  police  are  on  the  alert;  and  if  you 
persist  in  wearying  me  with  your  caterwauling,  I  will 
arrange  a  little  astonishment  for  you,  Mr.  Rolles.  But 
mine  shall  be  once  and  for  all.  Do  you  understand,  or 
would  you  prefer  me  to  tell  it  you  in  Hebrew  ?  There 
is  an  end  to  all  things,  and  you  have  come  to  the  end 
of  my  patience.  Tuesday,  at  seven ;  not  a  day,  not  an 
hour  sooner,  not  the  least  part  of  a  second,  if  it  were  to 
save  your  life.  And  if  you  do  not  choose  to  wait,  you 
may  go  to  the  bottomless  pit  for  me,  and  welcome." 

And  so  saying,  the  Dictator  arose  from  the  bench,  and 
marched  off  in  the  direction  of  Montmartre,  shaking  his 
head  and  swinging  his  cane  with  a  most  furious  air; 
while  his  companion  remained  where  he  was,  in  an  at- 
titude of  great  dejection. 

Francis  was  at  the  pitch  of  surprise  and  horror;  his 
sentiments  had  been  shocked  to  the  last  degree;  the 
hopeful  tenderness  with  which  he  had  taken  his  place 
upon  the  bench  was  transformed  into  repulsion  and  de- 

164 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

spair;  old  Mr.  Scrymgeour,  he  reflected,  was  a  far  more 
kindly  and  creditable  parent  than  this  dangerous  and 
violent  intriguer;  but  he  retained  his  presence  of  mind, 
and  suffered  not  a  moment  to  elapse  before  he  was  on 
the  trail  of  the  Dictator. 

That  gentleman's  fury  carried  him  forward  at  a  brisk 
pace,  and  he  was  so  completely  occupied  in  his  angry 
thoughts  that  he  never  so  much  as  cast  a  look  behind 
him  till  he  reached  his  own  door. 

His  house  stood  high  up  in  the  Rue  Lepic,  command- 
ing a  view  of  all  Paris  and  enjoying  the  pure  air  of  the 
heights.  It  was  two  stories  high,  with  green  blinds  and 
shutters ;  and  all  the  windows  looking  on  the  street  were 
hermetically  closed.  Tops  of  trees  showed  over  the  high 
garden  wall,  and  the  wall  was  protected  by  cbevaux-de- 
frise.  The  Dictator  paused  a  moment  while  he  searched 
his  pocket  for  a  key;  and  then,  opening  a  gate,  disap- 
peared within  the  enclosure. 

Francis  looked  about  him;  the  neighbourhood  was 
very  lonely ;  the  house  isolated  in  its  garden.  It  seemed  as 
if  his  observation  must  here  come  to  an  abrupt  end.  A 
second  glance,  however,  showed  him  a  tall  house  next 
door  presenting  a  gable  to  the  garden,  and  in  this  gable 
a  single  window.  He  passed  to  the  front  and  saw  a 
ticket  offering  unfurnished  lodgings  by  the  month ;  and, 
on  inquiry,  the  room  which  commanded  the  Dictator's 
garden  proved  to  be  one  of  those  to  let.  Francis  did 
not  hesitate  a  moment;  he  took  the  room,  paid  an  ad- 
vance upon  the  rent,  and  returned  to  his  hotel  to  seek 
his  baggage. 

The  old  man  with  the  sabre-cut  might  or  might  not 
be  his  father;  he  might  or  he  might  not  be  on  the  true 

165 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

scent;  but  he  was  certainly  on  the  edge  of  an  exciting 
mystery,  and  he  promised  himself  that  he  would  not 
relax  his  observation  until  he  had  got  to  the  bottom  of 
the  secret. 

From  the  window  of  his  new  apartment  Francis  Scrym- 
geour  commanded  a  complete  view  into  the  garden  of 
the  house  with  the  green  blinds.  Immediately  below 
him  a  very  comely  chestnut  with  wide  boughs  shel- 
tered a  pair  of  rustic  tables  where  people  might  dine  in 
the  height  of  summer.  On  all  sides  save  one  a  dense 
vegetation  concealed  the  soil :  but  there,  between  the 
tables  and  the  house,  he  saw  a  patch  of  gravel  walk 
leading  from  the  veranda  to  the  garden-gate.  Studying 
the  places  from  between  the  boards  of  the  Venetian 
shutter,  which  he  durst  not  open  for  fear  of  attracting 
attention,  Francis  observed  but  little  to  indicate  the 
manners  of  the  inhabitants,  and  that  little  argued  no 
more  than  a  close  reserve  and  a  taste  for  solitude.  The 
garden  was  conventual,  the  house  had  the  air  of  a  prison. 
The  green  blinds  were  all  drawn  down  upon  the  out- 
side; the  door  into  the  veranda  was  closed;  the  gar- 
den, as  far  as  he  could  see  it,  was  left  entirely  to  itself 
in  the  evening  sunshine.  A  modest  curl  of  smoke  from 
a  single  chimney  alone  testified  to  the  presence  of  living 
people. 

In  order  that  he  might  not  be  entirely  idle,  and  to 
give  a  certain  colour  to  his  way  of  life,  Francis  had  pur- 
chased Euclid's  Geometry  in  French,  which  he  set  him- 
self to  copy  and  translate  on  the  top  of  his  portmanteau 
and  seated  on  the  floor  against  the  wall;  for  he  was 
equally  without  chair  or  table.  From  time  to  time  he 
would  rise  and  cast  a  glance  into  the  enclosure  of  the 

166 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

house  with  the  green  blinds ;  but  the  windows  remained 
obstinately  closed  and  the  garden  empty. 

Only  late  in  the  evening  did  anything  occur  to  reward 
his  continued  attention.  Between  nine  and  ten  the 
sharp  tinkle  of  a  bell  aroused  him  from  a  fit  of  dozing; 
and  he  sprang  to  his  observatory  in  time  to  hear  an  im- 
portant noise  of  locks  being  opened  and  bars  removed, 
and  to  see  Mr.  Vandeleur,  carrying  a  lantern  and  clothed 
in  a  flowing  robe  of  black  velvet  with  a  skull-cap  to 
match,  issue  from  under  the  veranda  and  proceed  lei- 
surely toward  the  garden-gate.  The  sound  of  bolts  and 
bars  was  then  repeated ;  and  a  moment  after  Francis  per- 
ceived the  Dictator  escorting  into  the  house,  in  the  mo- 
bile light  of  the  lantern,  an  individual  of  the  lowest  and 
most  despicable  appearance. 

Half-an-hour  afterward  the  visitor  was  reconducted 
to  the  street;  and  Mr.  Vandeleur,  setting  his  light  upon 
one  of  the  rustic  tables,  finished  a  cigar  with  great  de- 
liberation under  the  foliage  of  the  chestnut.  Francis, 
peering  through  a  clear  space  among  the  leaves,  was 
able  to  follow  his  gestures  as  he  threw  away  the  ash  or 
enjoyed  a  copious  inhalation ;  and  beheld  a  cloud  upon 
the  old  man's  brow  and  a  forcible  action  of  the  lips, 
which  testified  to  some  deep  and  probably  painful  train 
of  thought.  The  cigar  was  already  almost  at  an  end, 
when  the  voice  of  a  young  girl  was  heard  suddenly  cry- 
ing the  hour  from  the  interior  of  the  house. 

"In  a  moment,"  replied  John  Vandeleur. 

And,  with  that,  he  threw  away  the  stump  and,  taking 
up  the  lantern,  sailed  away  under  the  veranda  for  the 
night.  As  soon  as  the  door  was  closed,  absolute  dark- 
ness fell  upon  the  house;  Francis  might  try  his  eyesight 

167 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

as  much  as  he  pleased,  he  could  not  detect  so  much  as 
a  single  chink  of  light  below  a  blind ;  and  he  concluded, 
with  great  good  sense,  that  the  bed  chambers  were  all 
upon  the  other  side. 

Early  the  next  morning  (for  he  was  early  awake  after 
an  uncomfortable  night  upon  the  floor),  he  saw  cause  to 
adopt  a  different  explanation.  The  blinds  rose,  one  after 
another,  by  means  of  a  spring  in  the  interior,  and  dis- 
closed steel  shutters  such  as  we  see  on  the  front  of 
shops ;  these  in  their  turn  were  rolled  up  by  a  similar 
contrivance;  and  for  the  space  of  about  an  hour,  the 
chambers  were  left  open  to  the  morning  air.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  Mr.  Vandeleur,  with  his  own  hand, 
once  more  closed  the  shutters  and  replaced  the  blinds 
from  within. 

While  Francis  was  still  marvelling  at  these  precautions, 
the  door  opened  and  a  young  girl  came  forth  to  look 
about  her  in  the  garden.  It  was  not  two  minutes  before 
she  re-entered  the  house,  but  even  in  that  short  time  he 
saw  enough  to  convince  him  that  she  possessed  the 
most  unusual  attractions.  His  curiosity  was  not  only 
highly  excited  by  this  incident,  but  his  spirits  were  im- 
proved to  a  still  more  notable  degree.  The  alarming 
manners  and  more  than  equivocal  life  of  his  father  ceased 
from  that  moment  to  prey  upon  his  mind;  from  that 
moment  he  embraced  his  new  family  with  ardour;  and 
whether  the  young  lady  should  prove  his  sister  or  his 
wife,  he  felt  convinced  she  was  an  angel  in  disguise. 
So  much  was  this  the  case  that  he  was  seized  with 
a  sudden  horror  when  he  reflected  how  little  he  really 
knew,  and  how  possible  it  was  that  he  followed  the 
wrong  person  when  he  followed  Mr.  Vandeleur. 

1 68 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

The  porter,  whom  he  consulted,  could  afford  him  little 
information;  but,  such  as  it  was,  it  had  a  mysterious  and 
questionable  sound.  The  person  next  door  was  an  Eng- 
lish gentleman  of  extraordinary  wealth,  and  proportion- 
ately eccentric  in  his  tastes  and  habits.  He  possessed 
great  collections,  which  he  kept  in  the  house  beside  him ; 
and  it  was  to  protect  these  that  he  had  fitted  the  place 
with  steel  shutters,  elaborate  fastenings  and  chevaux-de- 
frise  along  the  garden  wall.  He  lived  much  alone, 
in  spite  of  some  strange  visitors  with  whom,  it  seemed, 
he  had  business  to  transact;  and  there  was  no  one 
in  the  house  except  Mademoiselle  and  an  old  woman 
servant. 

"Is  Mademoiselle  his  daughter?"  inquired  Francis. 

'  ■  Certainly, "  replied  the  porter.  ' '  Mademoiselle  is  the 
daughter  of  the  house ;  and  strange  it  is  to  see  how  she 
is  made  to  work.  For  all  his  riches,  it  is  she  who  goes 
to  market ;  and  every  day  in  the  week  you  may  see  her 
going  by  with  a  basket  on  her  arm." 

"  And  the  collections  ?  "  asked  the  other. 

"Sir,"  said  the  man,  "they  are  immensely  valuable. 
More  I  cannot  tell  you.  Since  M.  de  Vandeleur's  arrival 
no  one  in  the  quarter  has  so  much  as  passed  the  door." 

"Suppose  not,"  returned  Francis,  "you  must  surely 
have  some  notion  what  these  famous  galleries  contain. 
Is  it  pictures,  silks,  statues,  jewels,  or  what  ?  " 

"My  faith,  sir,"  said  the  fellow  with  a  shrug,  "it 
might  be  carrots,  and  still  I  could  not  tell  you.  How 
should  I  know  ?  The  house  is  kept  like  a  garrison,  as 
you  perceive." 

And  then  as  Francis  was  returning  disappointed  to  his 
room,  the  porter  called  him  back. 

169 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

"  I  have  just  remembered,  sir,"  said  he.  "  M.  de  Van- 
deleur  has  been  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  I  once  heard 
the  old  woman  declare  that  he  had  brought  many  dia- 
monds back  with  him.  If  that  be  the  truth,  there  must 
be  a  fine  show  behind  those  shutters." 

By  an  early  hour  on  Sunday  Francis  was  in  his  place 
at  the  theatre.  The  seat  which  had  been  taken  for  him 
was  only  two  or  three  numbers  from  the  left-hand  side, 
and  directly  opposite  one  of  the  lower  boxes.  As  the 
seat  had  been  specially  chosen  there  was  doubtless  some- 
thing to  be  learned  from  its  position;  and  he  judged  by 
an  instinct  that  the  box  upon  his  right  was,  in  some  way 
or  other,  to  be  connected  with  the  drama  in  which  he 
ignorantly  played  a  part.  Indeed  it  was  so  situated  that 
its  occupants  could  safely  observe  him  from  beginning 
to  end  of  the  piece,  if  they  were  so  minded;  while, 
profiting  by  the  depth,  they  could  screen  themselves 
sufficiently  well  from  any  counter-examination  on  his 
side.  He  promised  himself  not  to  leave  it  for  a  moment 
out  of  sight;  and  whilst  he  scanned  the  rest  of  the  the- 
atre, or  made  a  show  of  attending  to  the  business  of 
the  stage,  he  always  kept  a  corner  of  an  eye  upon  the 
empty  box. 

The  second  act  had  been  some  time  in  progress,  and 
was  even  drawing  towards  a  close,  when  the  door 
opened  and  two  persons  entered  and  ensconced  them- 
selves in  the  darkest  of  the  shade.  Francis  could  hardly 
control  his  emotion.  It  was  Mr.  Vandeleur  and  his 
daughter.  The  blood  came  and  went  in  his  arteries  and 
veins  with  stunning  activity;  his  ears  sang;  his  head 
turned.  He  dared  not  look  lest  he  should  awake  sus- 
picion ;  his  play-bill,  which  he  kept  reading  from  end  to 

170 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

end,  and  over  and  over  again,  turned  from  white  to  red 
before  his  eyes;  and  when  he  cast  a  glance  upon  the 
stage  it  seemed  incalculably  far  away,  and  he  found  the 
voices  and  gestures  of  the  actors  to  the  last  degree  im- 
pertinent and  absurd. 

From  time  to  time  he  risked  a  momentary  look  in  the 
direction  which  principally  arrested  him ;  and  once  at 
least  he  felt  certain  that  his  eyes  encountered  those  of 
the  young  girl.  A  shock  passed  over  his  body,  and  he 
saw  all  the  colours  of  the  rainbow.  What  would  he  not 
have  given  to  overhear  what  passed  between  the  Van- 
deleurs  ?  What  would  he  not  have  given  for  the  cou- 
rage to  take  up  his  opera-glass  and  steadily  inspect  their 
attitude  and  expression  ?  There,  for  aught  he  knew,  his 
whole  life  was  being  decided  —  and  he  not  able  to  in- 
terfere, not  able  even  to  follow  the  debate,  but  con- 
demned to  sit  and  suffer  where  he  was,  in  impotent 
anxiety. 

At  last  the  act  came  to  an  end.  The  curtain  fell,  and 
the  people  around  him  began  to  leave  their  places  for  the 
interval.  It  was  only  natural  that  he  should  follow  their 
example ;  and  if  he  did  so,  it  was  not  only  natural  but 
necessary  that  he  should  pass  immediately  in  front  of 
the  box  in  question.  Summoning  all  his  courage,  but 
keeping  his  eyes  lowered,  Francis  drew  near  the  spot. 
His  progress  was  slow,  for  the  old  gentleman  before  him 
moved  with  incredible  deliberation,  wheezing  as  he  went. 
What  was  he  to  do  ?  Should  he  address  the  Vandeleurs 
by  name  as  he  went  by  ?  Should  he  take  the  flower 
from  his  button-hole  and  throw  it  into  the  box  ?  Should 
he  raise  his  face  and  direct  one  long  and  affectionate  look 
upon  the  lady  who  was  either  his  sister  or  his  betrothed  ? 

171 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

As  he  found  himself  thus  struggling  among  so  many 
alternatives,  he  had  a  vision  of  his  old  equable  existence 
in  the  bank,  and  was  assailed  by  a  thought  of  regret  for 
the  past. 

By  this  time  he  had  arrived  directly  opposite  the  box ; 
and  although  he  was  still  undetermined  what  to  do  or 
whether  to  do  anything,  he  turned  his  head  and  lifted 
his  eyes.  No  sooner  had  he  done  so  than  he  uttered  a 
cry  of  disappointment  and  remained  rooted  to  the  spot. 

The  box  was  empty.  During  his  slow  advance  Mr. 
Vandeleur  and  his  daughter  had  quietly  slipped  away. 

A  polite  person  in  his  rear  reminded  him  that  he  was 
stopping  the  path ;  and  he  moved  on  again  with  mechani- 
cal footsteps,  and  suffered  the  crowd  to  carry  him  unre- 
sisting out  of  the  theatre.  Once  in  the  street,  the  pressure 
ceasing,  he  came  to  a  halt,  and  the  cool  night  air  speedily 
restored  him  to  the  possession  of  his  faculties.  He  was 
surprised  to  find  that  his  head  ached  violently,  and  that 
he  remembered  not  one  word  of  the  two  acts  which 
he  had  witnessed.  As  the  excitement  wore  away,  it 
was  succeeded  by  an  overweening  appetite  for  sleep,  and 
he  hailed  a  cab  and  drove  to  his  lodging  in  a  state  of 
extreme  exhaustion  and  some  disgust  of  life. 

Next  morning  he  lay  in  wait  for  Miss  Vandeleur  on 
her  road  to  market,  and  by  eight  o'clock  beheld  her  step- 
ping down  a  lane.  She  was  simply,  and  even  poorly, 
attired ;  but  in  the  carriage  of  her  head  and  body  there 
was  something  flexible  and  noble  that  would  have  lent 
distinction  to  the  meanest  toilette.  Even  her  basket,  so 
aptly  did  she  carry  it,  became  her  like  an  ornament.  It 
seemed  to  Francis,  as  he  slipped  into  a  doorway,  that 
the  sunshine  followed  and  the  shadows  fled  before  her 

172 


THE   RAJAH'S    DIAMOND 

as  she  walked ;  and  he  was  conscious,  for  the  first  time* 
of  a  bird  singing  in  a  cage  above  the  lane. 

He  suffered  her  to  pass  the  doorway,  and  then,  com- 
ing forth  once  more,  addressed  her  by  name  from  be- 
hind. 

"  Miss  Vandeleur,"  said  he. 

She  turned  and,  when  she  saw  who  he  was,  became 
deadly  pale. 

"  Pardon  me,"  he  continued;  "  Heaven  knows  I  had 
no  will  to  startle  you ;  and,  indeed,  there  should  be  no- 
thing startling  in  the  presence  of  one  who  wishes  you 
so  well  as  I  do.  And,  believe  me,  I  am  acting  rather 
from  necessity  than  choice.  We  have  many  things  in 
common,  and  I  am  sadly  in  the  dark.  There  is  much 
that  I  should  be  doing,  and  my  hands  are  tied.  I  do  not 
know  even  what  to  feel,  nor  who  are  my  friends  and 
enemies." 

She  found  her  voice  with  an  effort. 

"  I  do  not  know  who  you  are,"  she  said. 

"Ah,  yes!  Miss  Vandeleur,  you  do,"  returned  Fran^ 
cis;  "better  than  I  do  myself.  Indeed  it  is  on  that, 
above  all,  that  I  seek  light.  Tell  me  what  you  know," 
he  pleaded.  "Tell  me  who  I  am,  who  you  are,  and 
how  our  destinies  are  intermixed.  Give  me  a  little  help 
with  my  life,  Miss  Vandeleur  —  only  a  word  or  two  to 
guide  me,  only  the  name  of  my  father,  if  you  will — and 
I  shall  be  grateful  and  content." 

"I  will  not  attempt  to  deceive  you,"  she  replied.  "  I 
know  who  you  are,  but  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  say." 

"Tell  me,  at  least,  that  you  have  forgiven  my  pre- 
sumption, and  I  shall  wait  with  all  the  patience  I  have," 
he  said.     "  If  I  am  not  to  know,  I  must  do  without    It 

■73 


NEW  ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

is  cruel,  but  I  can  bear  more  upon  a  push.  Only  do  not 
add  to  my  troubles  the  thought  that  I  have  made  an 
enemy  of  you." 

"  You  did  only  what  was  natural,"  she  said,  "and  I 
have  nothing  to  forgive  you.     Farewell." 

6 '  Is  it  to  be  farewell?  "  he  asked. 

"Nay,  that  I  do  not  know  myself,"  she  answered. 
"  Farewell  for  the  present,  if  you  like." 

And  with  these  words  she  was  gone. 

Francis  returned  to  his  lodging  in  a  state  of  consider- 
able commotion  of  mind.  He  made  the  most  trifling 
progress  with  his  Euclid  for  that  forenoon,  and  was  more 
often  at  the  window  than  at  his  improvised  writing- 
table.  But  beyond  seeing  the  return  of  Miss  Vandeleur, 
and  the  meeting  between  her  and  her  father,  who  was 
smoking  a  Trichinopoli  cigar  in  the  veranda,  there  was 
nothing  notable  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  house  with 
the  green  blinds  before  the  time  of  the  mid-day  meal. 
The  young  man  hastily  allayed  his  appetite  in  a  neigh- 
bouring restaurant,  and  returned  with  the  speed  of  un- 
allayed  curiosity  to  the  house  in  the  Rue  Lepic.  A 
mounted  servant  was  leading  a  saddle-horse  to  and  fro 
before  the  garden  wall ;  and  the  porter  of  Francis's  lodg- 
ing was  smoking  a  pipe  against  the  door-post,  absorbed 
in  contemplation  of  the  livery  and  the  steeds. 

"  Look! "  he  cried  to  the  young  man,  "what  fine  cat- 
tle! what  an  elegant  costume!  They  belong  to  the 
brother  of  M.  de  Vandeleur,  who  is  now  within  upon 
a  visit.  He  is  a  great  man,  a  general,  in  your  country ; 
and  you  doubtless  know  him  well  by  reputation." 

"I  confess,"  returned  Francis,  "that  I  have  never 
heard  of  General  Vandeleur  before.    We  have  many  of- 

'74 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

fleers  of  that  grade,  and  my  pursuits  have  been  exclu- 
sively civil." 

"It  is  he,"  replied  the  porter,  "who  lost  the  great 
diamond  of  the  Indies.  Of  that  at  least  you  must  have 
read  often  in  the  papers." 

As  soon  as  Francis  could  disengage  himself  from  the 
porter  he  ran  up  stairs  and  hurried  to  the  window.  Im- 
mediately below  the  clear  space  in  the  chestnut  leaves, 
the  two  gentlemen  were  seated  in  conversation  over  a 
cigar.  The  General,  a  red,  military-looking  man,  offered 
some  traces  of  a  family  resemblance  to  his  brother;  he 
had  something  of  the  same  features,  something,  although 
very  little,  of  the  same  free  and  powerful  carriage ;  but 
he  was  older,  smaller,  and  more  common  in  air  ;  his 
likeness  was  that  of  a  caricature,  and  he  seemed  alto- 
gether a  poor  and  debile  being  by  the  side  of  the  Dic- 
tator. 

They  spoke  in  tones  so  low,  leaning  over  the  table 
with  every  appearance  of  interest,  that  Francis  could 
catch  no  more  than  a  word  or  two  on  an  occasion.  For 
as  little  as  he  heard,  he  was  convinced  that  the  conver- 
sation turned  upon  himself  and  his  own  career;  several 
times  the  name  of  Scrymgeour  reached  his  ear,  for  it  was 
easy  to  distinguish,  and  still  more  frequently  he  fancied 
he  could  distinguish  the  name  Francis. 

At  length  the  General,  as  if  in  a  hot  anger,  broke  forth 
into  several  violent  exclamations. 

"Francis  Vandeleur! "  he  cried,  accentuating  the  last 
word.     "  Francis  Vandeleur,  I  tell  you." 

The  Dictator  made  a  movement  of  his  whole  body, 
half  affirmative,  half  contemptuous,  but  his  answer  was 
inaudible  to  the  young  man. 

«75 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

Was  he  the  Francis  Vandeleur  in  question  ?  he  won- 
dered. Were  they  discussing  the  name  under  which  he 
was  to  be  married  ?  Or  was  the  whole  affair  a  dream  and 
a  delusion  of  his  own  conceit  and  self-absorption  ? 

After  another  interval  of  inaudible  talk,  dissension 
seemed  again  to  arise  between  the  couple  underneath 
the  chestnut,  and  again  the  General  raised  his  voice 
angrily  so  as  to  be  audible  to  Francis. 

"My  wife  ? "  he  cried.  "  I  have  done  with  my  wife 
for  good.  I  will  not  hear  her  name.  I  am  sick  of  her 
very  name." 

And  he  swore  aloud  and  beat  the  table  with  his  fist. 

The  Dictator  appeared,  by  his  gestures,  to  pacify  him 
after  a  paternal  fashion ;  and  a  little  after  he  conducted 
him  to  the  garden-gate.  The  pair  shook  hands  affec- 
tionately enough ;  but  as  soon  as  the  door  had  closed 
behind  his  visitor,  John  Vandeleur  fell  into  a  fit  of  laugh- 
ter which  sounded  unkindly  and  even  devilish  in  the 
ears  of  Francis  Scrymgeour. 

So  another  day  had  passed,  and  little  more  learnt.  But 
the  young  man  remembered  that  the  morrow  was  Tues- 
day, and  promised  himself  some  curious  discoveries ;  all 
might  be  well,  or  all  might  be  ill ;  he  was  sure,  at  least, 
to  glean  some  curious  information,  and,  perhaps,  by  good 
luck,  get  at  the  heart  of  the  mystery  which  surrounded 
his  father  and  his  family. 

As  the  hour  of  the  dinner  drew  near  many  preparations 
were  made  in  the  garden  of  the  house  with  the  green 
blinds.  The  table  which  was  partly  visible  to  Francis 
through  the  chestnut  leaves  was  destined  to  serve  as  a 
sideboard,  and  carried  relays  of  plates  and  the  materials 
for  salad:  the  other,  which  was  almost  entirely  con- 

176 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

cealed,  had  been  set  apart  for  the  diners,  and  Francis 
could  catch  glimpses  of  white  cloth  and  silver  plate. 

Mr.  Rolles  arrived,  punctual  to  the  minute ;  he  looked 
like  a  man  upon  his  guard,  and  spoke  low  and  sparingly. 
The  Dictator,  on  the  other  hand,  appeared  to  enjoy  an 
unusual  flow  of  spirits ;  his  laugh,  which  was  youthful 
and  pleasant  to  hear,  sounded  frequently  from  the  gar- 
den ;  by  the  modulation  and  the  changes  of  his  voice  it 
was  obvious  that  he  told  many  droll  stories  and  imitated 
the  accents  of  a  variety  of  different  nations ;  and  before 
he  and  the  young  clergyman  had  finished  their  vermouth 
all  feeling  of  distrust  was  at  an  end,  and  they  were  talk- 
ing together  like  a  pair  of  school  companions. 

At  length  Miss  Vandeleur  made  her  appearance,  car- 
rying the  soup-tureen.  Mr.  Rolles  ran  to  offer  her  assis- 
tance, which  she  laughingly  refused ;  and  there  was  an 
interchange  of  pleasantries  among  the  trio  which  seemed 
to  have  reference  to  this  primitive  manner  of  waiting  by 
one  of  the  company. 

"One  is  more  at  one's  ease,"  Mr.  Vandeleur  was 
heard  to  declare. 

Next  moment  they  were  all  three  in  their  places,  and 
Francis  could  see  as  little  as  he  could  hear  of  what  passed ; 
but  the  dinner  seemed  to  go  merrily;  there  was  a  per- 
petual babble  of  voices  and  sound  of  knives  and  forks 
below  the  chestnut;  and  Francis,  who  had  no  more  than 
a  roll  to  gnaw,  was  affected  with  envy  by  the  comfort 
and  deliberation  of  the  meal.  The  party  lingered  over 
one  dish  after  another,  and  then  over  a  delicate  dessert, 
with  a  bottle  of  old  wine  carefully  uncorked  by  the  hand 
of  the  Dictator  himself.  As  it  began  to  grow  dark  a 
lamp  was  set  upon  the  table  and  a  couple  of  candles  on 

177 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

the  sideboard ;  for  the  night  was  perfectly  pure,  starry, 
and  windless.  Light  overflowed  besides  from  the  door 
and  window  in  the  veranda,  so  that  the  garden  was  fairly 
illuminated  and  the  leaves  twinkled  in  the  darkness. 

For  perhaps  the  tenth  time  Miss  Vandeleur  entered 
the  house;  and  on  this  occasion  she  returned  with  the 
coffee  tray,  which  she  placed  upon  the  sideboard.  At 
the  same  moment  her  father  rose  from  his  seat. 

"The  coffee  is  my  province,"  Francis  heard  him  say. 

And  next  moment  he  saw  his  supposed  father  stand- 
ing by  the  sideboard  in  the  light  of  the  candles. 

Talking  over  his  shoulder  all  the  while,  Mr.  Vande- 
leur poured  out  two  cups  of  the  brown  stimulant,  and 
then,  by  a  rapid  act  of  prestidigitation,  emptied  the  con- 
tents of  a  tiny  phial  into  the  smaller  one  of  the  two. 
The  thing  was  so  swiftly  done  that  even  Francis,  who 
looked  straight  into  his  face,  had  hardly  time  to  perceive 
the  movement  before  it  was  completed.  And  next  in- 
stant, and  still  laughing,  Mr.  Vandeleur  had  turned 
again  towards  the  table  with  a  cup  in  either  hand. 

"  We  have  done  with  this,"  said  he,  "we  may  expect 
our  famous  Hebrew." 

It  would  be  impossible  to  depict  the  confusion  and 
distress  of  Francis  Scrymgeour.  He  saw  foul  play  going 
forward  before  his  eyes,  and  he  felt  bound  to  interfere, 
but  knew  not  how.  It  might  be  a  mere  pleasantry,  and 
then  how  should  he  look  if  he  were  to  offer  an  unneces- 
sary warning  ?  Or  again,  if  it  were  serious,  the  crimi- 
nal might  be  his  own  father,  and  then  how  should  he 
not  lament  if  he  were  to  bring  ruin  on  the  author  of  his 
days  ?  For  the  first  time  he  became  conscious  of  his  own 
position  as  a  spy.     To  wait  inactive  at  such  a  juncture 

178 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

and  with  such  a  conflict  of  sentiments  in  his  bosom  was 
to  suffer  the  most  acute  torture ;  he  clung  to  the  bars 
of  the  shutters,  his  heart  beat  fast  and  with  irregularity, 
and  he  felt  a  strong  sweat  break  forth  upon  his  body. 

Several  minutes  passed. 

He  seemed  to  perceive  the  conversation  die  away  and 
grow  less  and  less  in  vivacity  and  volume;  but  still  no 
sign  of  any  alarming  or  even  notable  event. 

Suddenly  the  ring  of  a  glass  breaking  was  followed 
by  a  faint  and  dull  sound,  as  of  a  person  who  should 
have  fallen  forward  with  his  head  upon  the  table.  At  the 
same  moment  a  piercing  scream  rose  from  the  garden. 

' '  What  have  you  done  ?  "  cried  Miss  Vandeleur.  ' '  He 
is  dead! " 

The  Dictator  replied  in  a  violent  whisper,  so  strong 
and  sibilant  that  every  word  was  audible  to  the  watcher 
at  the  window. 

"Silence!"  said  Mr.  Vandeleur;  "the  man  is  as  well 
as  I  am.  Take  him  by  the  heels  whilst  I  carry  him  by 
the  shoulders." 

Francis  heard  Miss  Vandeleur  break  forth  into  a  pas- 
sion of  tears. 

"  Do  you  hear  what  I  say  ?"  resumed  the  Dictator,  in 
the  same  tones.  "  Or  do  you  wish  to  quarrel  with  me  ? 
I  give  you  your  choice,  Miss  Vandeleur." 

There  was  another  pause,  and  the  Dictator  spoku 
again. 

"Take  that  man  by  the  heels,"  he  said.  "I  must 
have  him  brought  into  the  house.  If  I  were  a  little 
younger,  I  could  help  myself  against  the  world.  But 
now  that  years  and  dangers  are  upon  me  and  my  hands 
are  weakened,  I  must  turn  to  you  for  aid." 

179 


"It  is  a  crime,"  replied  the  girl. 

"  I  am  your  father,"  said  Mr.  Vandeleur. 

This  appeal  seemed  to  produce  its  effect.  A  scuffling 
noise  followed  upon  the  gravel,  a  chair  was  overset,  and 
then  Francis  saw  the  father  and  daughter  stagger  across 
the  walk  and  disappear  under  the  veranda,  bearing  the 
inanimate  body  of  Mr.  Rolles  embraced  about  the  knees 
and  shoulders.  The  young  clergyman  was  limp  and 
pallid,  and  his  head  rolled  upon  his  shoulders  at  every 
step. 

Was  he  alive  or  dead  ?  Francis,  in  spite  of  the  Dic- 
tator's declaration,  inclined  to  the  latter  view.  A  great 
crime  had  been  committed ;  a  great  calamity  had  fallen 
upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  house  with  the  green  blinds. 
To  his  surprise,  Francis  found  all  horror  for  the  deed 
swallowed  up  in  sorrow  for  a  girl  and  an  old  man  whom 
he  judged  to  be  in  the  height  of  peril.  A  tide  of  gener- 
ous feeling  swept  into  his  heart;  he,  too,  would  help  his 
father  against  man  and  mankind,  against  fate  and  jus- 
tice ;  and  casting  open  the  shutters  he  closed  his  eyes 
and  threw  himself  with  outstretched  arms  into  the  foli- 
age of  the  chestnut. 

Branch  after  branch  slipped  from  his  grasp  or  broke 
under  his  weight;  then  he  caught  a  stalwart  bough  un- 
der his  armpit,  and  hung  suspended  for  a  second ;  and 
then  he  let  himself  drop  and  fell  heavily  against  the 
table.  A  cry  of  alarm  from  the  house  warned  him  that 
his  entrance  had  not  been  effected  unobserved.  He  re- 
covered himself  with  a  stagger,  and  in  three  bounds 
crossed  the  intervening  space  and  stood  before  the  door 
in  the  veranda. 

In  a  small  apartment,  carpeted  with  matting  and  sur- 
i8o 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

rounded  by  glazed  cabinets  full  of  rare  and  costly  curios, 
Mr.  Vandeleur  was  stooping  over  the  body  of  Mr.  Rolles. 
He  raised  himself  as  Francis  entered,  and  there  was  an 
instantaneous  passage  of  hands.  It  was  the  business  of 
a  second ;  as  fast  as  an  eye  can  wink  the  thing  was  done ; 
the  young  man  had  not  the  time  to  be  sure,  but  it  seemed 
to  him  as  if  the  Dictator  had  taken  something  from  the 
curate's  breast,  looked  at  it  for  the  least  fraction  of  time 
as  it  lay  in  his  hand,  and  then  suddenly  and  swiftly 
passed  it  to  his  daughter. 

All  this  was  over  while  Francis  had  still  one  foot  upon 
the  threshold,  and  the  other  raised  in  air.  The  next  in- 
stant he  was  on  his  knees  to  Mr.  Vandeleur. 

"Father!  "  he  cried.  "  Let  me  too  help  you.  I  will 
do  what  you  wish  and  ask  no  questions ;  I  will  obey 
you  with  my  life ;  treat  me  as  a  son,  and  you  will  find 
I  have  a  son's  devotion." 

A  deplorable  explosion  of  oaths  was  the  Dictator's 
first  reply. 

"Son  and  Father?"  he  cried.     "Father  and  son? 

What  d d  unnatural  comedy  is  all  this  ?    How  do 

you  come  in  my  garden  ?  What  do  you  want  ?  And 
who,  in  God's  name,  are  you  ?" 

Francis,  with  a  stunned  and  shamefaced  aspect,  got 
upon  his  feet  again,  and  stood  in  silence. 

Then  a  light  seemed  to  break  upon  Mr.  Vandeleur, 
and  he  laughed  aloud. 

4  ■  I  see, "  cried  he.  "  It  is  the  Scrymgeour.  Very  well, 
Mr.  Scrymgeour.  Let  me  tell  you  in  a  few  words  how 
you  stand.  You  have  entered  my  private  residence  by 
force,  or  perhaps  by  fraud,  but  certainly  with  no  encou- 
ragement from  me ;  and  you  come  at  a  moment  of  some 

181 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

annoyance,  a  guest  having  fainted  at  my  table,  to  be- 
siege me  with  your  protestations.  You  are  no  son  of 
mine.  You  are  my  brother's  bastard  by  a  fishwife,  if 
you  want  to  know.  I  regard  you  with  an  indifference 
closely  bordering  on  aversion ;  and  from  what  I  now  see 
of  your  conduct,  I  judge  your  mind  to  be  exactly  suit- 
able to  your  exterior.  I  recommend  you  these  mortify- 
ing reflections  for  your  leisure;  and,  in  the  meantime, 
let  me  beseech  you  to  rid  us  of  your  presence.  If  I  were 
not  occupied, "  added  the  Dictator,  with  a  terrifying  oath, 
"I  should  give  you  the  unholiest  drubbing  ere  you 
went! " 

Francis  listened  in  profound  humiliation.  He  would 
have  fled  had  it  been  possible;  but  as  he  had  no  means 
of  leaving  the  residence  into  which  he  had  so  unfor- 
tunately penetrated,  he  could  do  no  more  than  stand 
foolishly  where  he  was. 

It  was  Miss  Vandeleur  who  broke  the  silence. 

1 '  Father, "  she  said,  ' '  you  speak  in  anger.  Mr.  Scrym- 
geour  may  have  been  mistaken,  but  he  meant  well  and 
kindly." 

"Thank  you  for  speaking,"  returned  the  Dictator. 
"You  remind  me  of  some  other  observations  which  I 
hold  it  a  point  of  honour  to  make  to  Mr.  Scrymgeour. 
My  brother,"  he  continued,  addressing  the  young  man, 
"  has  been  foolish  enough  to  give  you  an  allowance;  he 
was  foolish  enough  and  presumptuous  enough  to  pro- 
pose a  match  between  you  and  this  young  lady.  You 
were  exhibited  to  her  two  nights  ago ;  and  I  rejoice  to 
tell  you  that  she  rejected  the  idea  with  disgust.  Let  me 
add  that  I  have  considerable  influence  with  your  father; 
and  it  shall  not  be  my  fault  if  you  are  not  beggared  of 

182 


THE  RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

your  allowance  and  sent  back  to  your  scrivening  ere  the 
week  be  out." 

The  tones  of  the  old  man's  voice  were,  if  possible, 
more  wounding  than  his  language;  Francis  felt  himself 
exposed  to  the  most  cruel,  blighting,  and  unbearable 
contempt;  his  head  turned,  and  he  covered  his  face  with 
his  hands,  uttering  at  the  same  time  a  tearless  sob  of 
agony.  But  Miss  Vandeleur  once  again  interfered  in  his 
behalf. 

"Mr.  Scrymgeour,"  she  said,  speaking  in  clear  and 
even  tones,  "you  must  not  be  concerned  at  my  father's 
harsh  expressions.  I  felt  no  disgust  for  you;  on  the 
contrary,  I  asked  an  opportunity  to  make  your  better 
acquaintance.  As  for  what  has  passed  to-night,  believe 
me  it  has  filled  my  mind  with  both  pity  and  esteem." 

Just  then  Mr.  Rolles  made  a  convulsive  movement 
with  his  arm,  which  convinced  Francis  that  he  was  only 
drugged,  and  was  beginning  to  throw  off  the  influence 
of  the  opiate.  Mr.  Vandeleur  stooped  over  him  and 
examined  his  face  for  an  instant. 

"Come,  come!"  cried  he,  raising  his  head.  "Let 
there  be  an  end  of  this.  And  since  you  are  so  pleased 
with  his  conduct,  Miss  Vandeleur,  take  a  candle  and 
show  the  bastard  out." 

The  young  lady  hastened  to  obey. 

"Thank  you,"  said  Francis,  as  soon  as  he  was  alone 
with  her  in  the  garden.  "I  thank  you  from  my  soul. 
This  has  been  the  bitterest  evening  of  my  life,  but  it  will 
have  always  one  pleasant  recollection." 

"I  spoke  as  I  felt,"  she  replied,  "and  in  justice  to 
you.  It  made  my  heart  sorry  that  you  should  be  so 
unkindly  used." 

183 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  garden  gate;  and 
Miss  Vandeleur,  having  set  the  candle  on  the  ground, 
was  already  unfastening  the  bolts. 

1 'One  word  more/'  said  Francis.  "This  is  not  for 
the  last  time  —  I  shall  see  you  again,  shall  I  not  ?" 

1  'Alas ! "  she  answered.  '  *  You  have  heard  my  father. 
What  can  I  do  but  obey  ?  " 

"Tell  me  at  least  that  it  is  not  with  your  consent," 
returned  Francis;  "  tell  me  that  you  have  no  wish  to  see 
the  last  of  me." 

"Indeed,"  replied  she,  "I  have  none.  You  seem  to 
me  both  brave  and  honest." 

"Then,"  said  Francis,  "give  me  a  keepsake." 

She  paused  for  a  moment,  with  her  hand  upon  the 
key ;  for  the  various  bars  and  bolts  were  all  undone,  and 
there  was  nothing  left  but  to  open  the  lock. 

"If  I  agree,"  she  said,  "will  you  promise  to  do  as  I 
tell  you  from  point  to  point  ?  " 

"Can  you  ask?"  replied  Francis.  "I  would  do  so 
willingly  on  your  bare  word." 

She  turned  the  key  and  threw  open  the  door. 

"Be  it  so,"  said  she.  "  You  do  not  know  what  you 
ask,  but  be  it  so.  Whatever  you  hear, "  she  continued, 
"whatever  happens,  do  not  return  to  this  house;  hurry 
fast  until  you  reach  the  lighted  and  populous  quarters 
of  the  city ;  even  there  be  upon  your  guard  You  are 
in  a  greater  danger  than  you  fancy.  Promise  me  you 
will  not  so  much  as  look  at  my  keepsake  until  you  are 
in  a  place  of  safety." 

"I  promise,"  replied  Francis. 

She  put  something  loosely  wrapped  in  a  handkerchief 
into  the  young  man's  hand ;  and  at  the  same  time,  with 

184 


THE   RAJAH'S    DIAMOND 

more  strength  than  he  could  have  anticipated,  she  pushed 
him  into  the  street. 

"Now  run ! "  she  cried. 

He  heard  the  door  close  behind  him,  and  the  noise  of 
the  bolts  being  replaced. 

"My  faith,"  said  he,  "since  I  have  promised! " 

And  he  took  to  his  heels  down  the  iane  that  leads  into 
the  Rue  Ravignan. 

He  was  not  fifty  paces  from  the  house  with  the  green 
blinds  when  the  most  diabolical  outcry  suddenly  arose 
out  of  the  stillness  of  the  night.  Mechanically  he  stood 
still;  another  passenger  followed  his  example;  in  the 
neighbouring  floors  he  saw  people  crowding  to  the  win- 
dows; a  conflagration  could  not  have  produced  more 
disturbance  in  this  empty  quarter.  And  yet  it  seemed 
to  be  all  the  work  of  a  single  man,  roaring  between 
grief  and  rage,  like  a  lioness  robbed  of  her  whelps ;  and 
Francis  was  surprised  and  alarmed  to  hear  his  own  name 
shouted  with  English  imprecations  to  the  wind. 

His  first  movement  was  to  return  to  the  house ;  his 
second,  as  he  remembered  Miss  Vandeleur's  advice,  to 
continue  his  flight  with  greater  expedition  than  before  ; 
and  he  was  in  the  act  of  turning  to  put  his  thought  in 
action,  when  the  Dictator,  bareheaded,  bawling  aloud, 
his  white  hair  blowing  about  his  head,  shot  past  him  like 
a  ball  out  of  the  cannon's  mouth,  and  went  careering 
down  the  street. 

"That  was  a  close  shave,"  thought  Francis  to  him- 
self. "What  he  wants  with  me,  and  why  he  should  be 
so  disturbed,  I  cannot  think;  but  he  is  plainly  not  good 
company  for  the  moment,  and  I  cannot  do  better  than 
follow  Miss  Vandeleur's  advice." 

185 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

So  saying,  he  turned  to  retrace  his  steps,  thinking  to 
double  and  descend  by  the  Rue  Lepic  itself  while  his 
pursuer  should  continue  to  follow  after  him  on  the  other 
line  of  street.  The  plan  was  ill-advised :  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  he  should  have  taken  his  seat  in  the  nearest  cafe, 
and  waited  there  until  the  first  heat  of  the  pursuit  was 
over.  But  besides  that  Francis  had  no  experience  and 
little  natural  aptitude  for  the  small  war  of  private  life,  he 
was  so  unconscious  of  any  evil  on  his  part,  that  he  saw 
nothing  to  fear  beyond  a  disagreeable  interview.  And 
to  disagreeable  interviews  he  felt  he  had  already  served 
his  apprenticeship  that  evening;  nor  could  he  suppose 
that  Miss  Vandeleur  had  left  anything  unsaid.  Indeed, 
the  young  man  was  sore  both  in  body  and  mind  —  the 
one  was  all  bruised,  the  other  was  full  of  smarting  ar- 
rows ;  and  he  owned  to  himself  that  Mr.  Vandeleur  was 
master  of  a  very  deadly  tongue. 

The  thought  of  his  bruises  reminded  him  that  he 
had  not  only  come  without  a  hat,  but  that  his  clothes 
had  considerably  suffered  in  his  descent  through  the 
chestnut.  At  the  first  magazine  he  purchased  a  cheap 
wideawake,  and  had  the  disorder  of  his  toilet  summa- 
rily repaired.  The  keepsake,  still  rolled  in  the  hand- 
kerchief, he  thrust  in  the  meanwhile  into  his  trousers 
pocket. 

Not  many  steps  beyond  the  shop  he  was  conscious  of 
a  sudden  shock,  a  hand  upon  his  throat,  an  infuriated 
face  close  to  his  own,  and  an  open  mouth  bawling 
curses  in  his  ear.  The  Dictator,  having  found  no  trace 
of  his  quarry,  was  returning  by  the  other  way.  Francis 
was  a  stalwart  young  fellow ;  but  he  was  no  match  for 
his  adversary  whether  in  strength  or  skill ;  and  after  a 

i86 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

few  ineffectual  struggles  he  resigned  himself  entirely  to 
his  captor. 

"  What  do  you  want  with  me?" 

"We  will  talk  of  that  at  home,"  returned  the  Dic- 
tator, grimly. 

And  he  continued  to  march  the  young  man  up  hill  in 
the  direction  of  the  house  with  the  green  blinds. 

But  Francis,  although  he  no  longer  struggled,  was 
only  waiting  an  opportunity  to  make  a  bold  push  for 
freedom.  With  a  sudden  jerk  he  left  the  collar  of  his 
coat  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Vandeleur,  and  once  more 
made  off  at  his  best  speed  in  the  direction  of  the  Boule- 
vards. 

The  tables  were  now  turned.  If  the  Dictator  was  the 
stronger,  Francis,  in  the  top  of  his  youth,  was  the  more 
fleet  of  foot,  and  he  had  soon  effected  his  escape  among 
the  crowds.  Relieved  for  a  moment,  but  with  a  grow- 
ing sentiment  of  alarm  and  wonder  in  his  mind,  he 
walked  briskly  until  he  debouched  upon  the  Place  de 
l'Opera,  lit  up  like  day  with  electric  lamps. 

"This,  at  least,"  thought  he,  "should  satisfy  Miss 
Vandeleur." 

And  turning  to  his  right  along  the  Boulevards,  he 
entered  the  Cafe  Americain  and  ordered  some  beer.  It 
was  both  late  and  early  for  the  majority  of  the  frequenters 
of  the  establishment.  Only  two  or  three  persons,  all 
men,  were  dotted  here  and  there  at  separate  tables  in 
the  hall;  and  Francis  was  too  much  occupied  by  his 
own  thoughts  to  observe  their  presence. 

He  drew  the  handkerchief  from  his  pocket.  The  ob- 
ject wrapped  in  it  proved  to  be  a  morocco  case,  clasped 
and  ornamented  in  gilt,  which  opened  by  means  of  a 

187 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

spring,  and  disclosed  to  the  horrified  young  man  a  dia- 
mond of  monstrous  bigness  and  extraordinary  brilliancy. 
The  circumstance  was  so  inexplicable,  the  value  of  the 
stone  was  plainly  so  enormous,  that  Francis  sat  staring 
into  the  open  casket  without  movement,  without  con- 
scious thought,  like  a  man  stricken  suddenly  with 
idiocy. 

A  hand  was  laid  upon  his  shoulder,  lightly  but  firmly, 
and  a  quiet  voice,  which  yet  had  in  it  the  ring  of  com- 
mand, uttered  these  words  in  his  ear : 

"Close  the  casket,  and  compose  your  face." 

Looking  up,  he  beheld  a  man,  still  young,  of  an  ur- 
bane and  tranquil  presence,  and  dressed  with  rich  sim- 
plicity. This  personage  had  risen  from  a  neighbouring 
table,  and  bringing  his  glass  with  him,  had  taken  a  seat 
beside  Francis. 

" Close  the  casket,"  replied  the  stranger,  "and  put  it 
quietly  back  into  your  pocket,  where  I  feel  persuaded 
it  should  never  have  been.  Try,  if  you  please,  to  throw 
off  your  bewildered  air,  and  act  as  though  I  were  one  of 
your  acquaintances  whom  you  had  met  by  chance.  So ! 
Touch  glasses  with  me.  That  is  better,  i  fear,  sir,  you 
must  be  an  amateur. " 

And  the  stranger  pronounced  these  last  words  with  a 
smile  of  peculiar  meaning,  leaned  back  in  his  seat  and 
enjoyed  a  deep  inhalation  of  tobacco. 

"  For  God's  sake/'  said  Francis,  "tell  me  who  you  are 
and  what  this  means  ?  Why  I  should  obey  your  most 
unusual  suggestions  I  am  sure  I  know  not;  but  the 
truth  is,  I  have  fallen  this  evening  into  so  many  per- 
plexing adventures,  and  all  I  meet  conduct  themselves 
so  strangely,  that  I  think  I  must  either  have  gone  mad 

188 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

or  wandered  into  another  planet.  Your  face  inspires 
me  with  confidence;  you  seem  wise,  good,  and  experi- 
enced; tell  me,  for  heaven's  sake,  why  you  accost  me 
in  so  odd  a  fashion?" 

1 '  All  in  due  time, "  replied  the  stranger.  ' '  But  I  have 
the  first  hand,  and  you  must  begin  by  telling  me  how 
the  Rajah's  Diamond  is  in  your  possession." 

"The  Rajah's  Diamond!" 

"  I  would  not  speak  so  loud,  if  I  were  you,"  returned 
the  other.  "But  most  certainly  you  have  the  Rajah's 
Diamond  in  your  pocket.  I  have  seen  and  handled  it  a 
score  of  times  in  Sir  Thomas  Vandeleur's  collection." 

"Sir  Thomas  Vandeleur!  The  General!   My  father!  " 

"  Your  father  ?  "  repeated  the  stranger.  "  I  was  not 
aware  the  General  had  any  family." 

"I  am  illegitimate,  sir,"  replied  Francis  with  a  flush. 

The  other  bowed  with  gravity.  It  was  a  respectful 
bow,  as  of  a  man  silently  apologising  to  his  equal ;  and 
Francis  felt  relieved  and  comforted,  he  scarce  knew  why. 
The  society  of  this  person  did  him  good ;  he  seemed  to 
touch  firm  ground ;  a  strong  feeling  of  respect  grew  up 
in  his  bosom,  and  mechanically  he  removed  his  wide- 
awake as  though  in  the  presence  of  a  superior. 

"I  perceive,"  said  the  stranger,  "that  your  adven- 
tures have  not  all  been  peaceful.  Your  collar  is  torn, 
your  face  is  scratched,  you  have  a  cut  upon  your  tem- 
ple ;  you  will,  perhaps,  pardon  my  curiosity  when  I  ask 
you  to  explain  how  you  came  by  these  injuries,  and  how 
you  happen  to  have  stolen  property  to  an  enormous 
value  in  your  pocket." 

"  I  must  differ  from  you  ! "  returned  Francis  hotly. 
"  I  possess  no  stolen  property.     And  if  you  refer  to  the 

189 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

diamond,  it  was  given  to  me  not  an  hour  ago  by  Miss 
Vandeleur  in  the  Rue  Lepic." 

"By  Miss  Vandeleur  of  the  Rue  Lepic!"  repeated 
the  other.  "  You  interest  me  more  than  you  suppose. 
Pray  continue. " 

"  Heavens!  "  cried  Francis. 

His  memory  had  made  a  sudden  bound.  He  had 
seen  Mr.  Vandeleur  take  an  article  from  the  breast  of  his 
drugged  visitor,  and  that  article,  he  was  now  persuaded, 
was  a  morocco  case. 

"You  have  a  light ? "  inquired  the  stranger. 

"  Listen,"  said  Francis.  "  I  know  not  who  you  are, 
but  I  believe  you  to  be  worthy  of  confidence  and  help- 
ful ;  I  find  myself  in  strange  waters ;  I  must  have  coun- 
sel and  support,  and  since  you  invite  me  I  shall  tell  you 
all." 

And  he  briefly  recounted  his  experience  since  the  day 
when  he  was  summoned  from  the  bank  by  his  lawyer. 

"Yours  is  indeed  a  remarkable  history,"  said  the 
stranger,  after  the  young  man  had  made  an  end  of  his 
narrative;  "and  your  position  is  full  of  difficulty  and 
peril.  Many  would  counsel  you  to  seek  out  your  father, 
and  give  the  diamond  to  him ;  but  I  have  other  views. 
Waiter! "  he  cried. 

The  waiter  drew  near. 

"  Will  you  ask  the  manager  to  speak  with  me  a  mo- 
ment ?  "  said  he;  and  Francis  observed  once  more,  both 
in  his  tone  and  manner,  the  evidence  of  a  habit  of  com- 
mand. 

The  waiter  withdrew,  and  returned  in  a  moment  with 
the  manager,  who  bowed  with  obsequious  respect. 

"What,"  said  he,  " can  I  do  to  serve  you ? " 
190 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

"  Have  the  goodness,"  replied  the  stranger,  indicating 
Francis,  "to  tell  this  gentleman  my  name." 

11  You  have  the  honour,  sir,"  said  the  functionary,  ad- 
dressing young  Scrymgeour,  "to  occupy  the  same  table 
with  His  Highness  Prince  Florizel  of  Bohemia." 

Francis  rose  with  precipitation,  and  made  a  grateful 
reverence  to  the  Prince,  who  bade  him  resume  his  seat. 

"I  thank  you,"  said  Florizel,  once  more  addressing 
the  functionary;  "  I  am  sorry  to  have  deranged  you  for 
so  small  a  matter." 

And  he  dismissed  him  with  a  movement  of  his  hand. 

"And  now,"  added  the  Prince,  turning  to  Francis, 
"  give  me  the  diamond." 

Without  a  word  the  casket  was  handed  over. 

"You  have  done  right,"  said  Florizel;  "your  senti- 
ments have  properly  inspired  you,  and  you  will  live  to 
be  grateful  for  the  misfortunes  of  to-night.  A  man,  Mr. 
Scrymgeour,  may  fall  into  a  thousand  perplexities,  but 
if  his  heart  be  upright  and  his  intelligence  unclouded,  he 
will  issue  from  them  all  without  dishonour.  Let  your 
mind  be  at  rest ;  your  affairs  are  in  my  hands ;  and  with 
the  aid  of  heaven  I  am  strong  enough  to  bring  them  to  a 
good  end.     Follow  me,  if  you  please,  to  my  carriage." 

So  saying  the  Prince  arose  and,  having  left  a  piece  of 
gold  for  the  waiter,  conducted  the  young  man  from  the 
cafe  and  along  the  Boulevard  to  where  an  unpretentious 
brougham  and  a  couple  of  servants  out  of  livery  awaited 
his  arrival. 

"This  carriage,"  said  he,  "is  at  your  disposal;  col- 
lect your  baggage  as  rapidly  as  you  can  make  it  conve- 
nient, and  my  servants  will  conduct  you  to  a  villa  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Paris,  where  you  can  wait  in  some  de- 

191 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

gree  of  comfort  until  I  have  had  time  to  arrange  your 
situation.  You  will  find  there  a  pleasant  garden,  a 
library  of  good  authors,  a  cook,  a  cellar,  and  some  good 
cigars,  which  I  recommend  to  your  attention.  Jerome," 
he  added,  turning  to  one  of  the  servants,  "you  have 
heard  what  I  say ;  I  leave  Mr.  Scrymgeour  in  your  charge ; 
you  will,  I  know,  be  careful  of  my  friend." 

Francis  uttered  some  broken  phrases  of  gratitude. 

"It  will  be  time  enough  to  thank  me,"  said  the  Prince, 
"  when  you  are  acknowledged  by  your  father  and  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Vandeleur." 

And  with  that  the  Prince  turned  away  and  strolled 
leisurely  in  the  direction  of  Montmartre.  He  hailed  the 
first  passing  cab,  gave  an  address,  and  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  afterwards,  having  discharged  the  driver  some  dis- 
tance lower,  he  was  knocking  at  Mr.  Vandeleur's  garden 
gate. 

It  was  opened  with  singular  precautions  by  the  Dic- 
tator in  person. 

"Who  are  you?"  he  demanded. 

"You  must  pardon  me  this  late  visit,  Mr.  Vandeleur," 
replied  the  Prince. 

"Your  Highness  is  always  welcome,"  returned  Mr. 
Vandeleur,  stepping  back. 

The  Prince  profited  by  the  open  space,  and  without 
waiting  for  his  host  walked  right  into  the  house  and 
opened  the  door  of  the  salon.  Two  people  were  seated 
there ;  one  was  Miss  Vandeleur,  who  bore  the  marks  of 
weeping  about  her  eyes,  and  was  still  shaken  from  time 
to  time  by  a  sob ;  in  the  other  the  Prince  recognised  the 
young  man  who  had  consulted  him  on  literary  matters 
about  a  month  before,  in  a  club  smoking-room. 

192 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

1 '  Good  evening,  Miss  Vandeleur, "  said  Florizel ;  ' '  you 
look  fatigued.  Mr.  Rolles,  I  believe  ?  I  hope  you  have 
profited  by  the  study  of  Gaboriau,  Mr.  Rolles." 

But  the  young  clergyman's  temper  was  too  much  em- 
bittered for  speech ;  and  he  contented  himself  with  bow- 
ing stiffly,  and  continued  to  gnaw  his  lip. 

"To  what  good  wind,"  said  Mr.  Vandeleur,  following 
his  guest,  ''am  I  to  attribute  the  honour  of  your  High- 
ness's  presence  ?  " 

"I  am  come  on  business,"  returned  the  Prince;  "on 
business  with  you ;  as  soon  as  that  is  settled  I  shall  re- 
quest Mr.  Rolles  to  accompany  me  for  a  walk.  Mr. 
Rolles,"  he  added,  with  severity,  "let  me  remind  you 
that  I  have  not  yet  sat  down." 

The  clergyman  sprang  to  his  feet  with  an  apology; 
whereupon  the  Prince  took  an  arm-chair  beside  the  table, 
handed  his  hat  to  Mr.  Vandeleur,  his  cane  to  Mr.  Rolles, 
and,  leaving  them  standing  and  thus  menially  employed 
upon  his  service,  spoke  as  follows : 

"  I  have  come  here,  as  I  said,  upon  business;  but,  had 
I  come  looking  for  pleasure,  I  could  not  have  been  more 
displeased  with  my  reception  nor  more  dissatisfied  with 
my  company.  You,  sir,"  addressing  Mr.  Rolles,  "you 
have  treated  your  superior  in  station  with  discourtesy ; 
you,  Vandeleur,  receive  me  with  a  smile,  but  you  know 
right  well  that  your  hands  are  not  yet  cleansed  from 
misconduct.  I  do  not  desire  to  be  interrupted,  sir,"  he 
added  imperiously;  "I  am  here  to  speak,  and  not  to 
listen ;  and  I  have  to  ask  you  to  hear  me  with  respect, 
and  to  obey  punctiliously.  At  the  earliest  possible  date 
your  daughter  shall  be  married  at  the  Embassy  to  my 
friend,  Francis  Scrymgeour,  your   brother's   acknow- 

'93 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

ledged  son.  You  will  oblige  me  by  offering  not  less 
than  ten  thousand  pounds  dowry.  For  yourself,  I  will 
indicate  to  you  in  writing  a  mission  of  some  importance 
in  Siam  which  I  destine  to  your  care.  And  now,  sir, 
you  will  answer  me  in  two  words  whether  or  not  you 
agree  to  these  conditions." 

"Your  Highness  will  pardon  me,"  said  Mr.  Vande- 
leur,  "and  permit  me,  with  all  respect,  to  submit  to 
him  two  queries  ?  " 

u  The  permission  is  granted,"  replied  the  Prince. 

"  Your  Highness,"  resumed  the  Dictator,  "has  called 
Mr.  Scrymgeour  his  friend.  Believe  me,  had  I  known 
that  he  was  thus  honoured,  I  should  have  treated  him 
with  proportional  respect." 

"You  interrogate  adroitly,"  said  the  Prince;  "but  it 
will  not  serve  your  turn.  You  have  my  commands ;  if 
I  had  never  seen  that  gentleman  before  to-night,  it  would 
not  render  them  less  absolute." 

"Your  Highness  interprets  my  meaning  with  his 
usual  subtlety,"  returned  Vandeleur.  "Once  more:  I 
have,  unfortunately,  put  the  police  upon  the  track  of  Mr. 
Scrymgeour  on  a  charge  of  theft;  am  I  to  withdraw  or 
to  uphold  the  accusation  ?" 

"You  will  please  yourself,"  replied  Florizel.  "The 
question  is  one  between  your  conscience  and  the  laws 
of  this  land.  Give  me  my  hat;  and  you,  Mr.  Rolles,  give 
me  my  cane  and  follow  me.  Miss  Vandeleur,  I  wish 
you  good  evening.  I  judge,"  he  added  to  Vandeleur, 
"that  your  silence  means  unqualified  assent." 

"  If  I  can  do  no  better,"  replied  the  old  man,  "  I  shall 
submit ;  but  I  warn  you  openly  it  shall  not  be  without  a 
struggle." 

194  ^ 


THE  RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

"  You  are  old,"  said  the  Prince;  "  but  years  are  dis* 
graceful  to  the  wicked.  Your  age  is  more  unwise  than 
the  youth  of  others.  Do  not  provoke  me,  or  you  may 
find  me  harder  than  you  dream.  This  is  the  first  time 
that  I  have  fallen  across  your  path  in  anger;  take  care 
that  it  be  the  last." 

With  these  words,  motioning  the  clergyman  to  fol- 
low, Florizel  left  the  apartment  and  directed  his  steps 
towards  the  garden-gate;  and  the  Dictator,  following 
with  a  candle,  gave  them  light,  and  once  more  undid  the 
elaborate  fastenings  with  which  he  sought  to  protect 
himself  from  intrusion. 

"  Your  daughter  is  no  longer  present,"  said  the  Prince, 
turning  on  the  threshold.  "  Let  me  tell  you  that  I  un- 
derstand your  threats;  and  you  have  only  to  lift  your 
hand  to  bring  upon  yourself  sudden  and  irremediable 
ruin." 

The  Dictator  made  no  reply ;  but  as  the  Prince  turned 
his  back  upon  him  in  the  lamplight  he  made  a  gesture 
full  of  menace  and  insane  fury;  and  the  next  moment, 
slipping  round  a  corner,  he  was  running  at  full  speed  for 
the  nearest  cab-stand. 

(Here,  says  my  Arabian,  the  thread  of  events  is  finally 
diverted  from  The  House  with  the  Green  Blinds.  One 
more  adventure,  he  adds,  and  we  have  done  with  The 
Rajah's  Diamond.  That  last  link  in  the  chain  is  known 
among  the  inhabitants  of  Bagdad  by  the  name  of  The 
Adventure  of  Prince  Florizel  and  the  Detective.) 


195 


ADVENTURE  OF  PRINCE  FLORIZEL  AND  THE 
DETECTIVE 

Prince  Florizel  walked  with  Mr.  Rolles  to  the  door 
of  a  small  hotel  where  the  latter  resided.  They  spoke 
much  together,  and  the  clergyman  was  more  than  once 
affected  to  tears  by  the  mingled  severity  and  tenderness 
of  Florizel's  reproaches. 

1 '  I  have  made  ruin  of  my  life, "  he  said  at  last,  f '  Help 
me ;  tell  me  what  I  am  to  do ;  I  have,  alas !  neither  the 
virtues  of  a  priest  nor  the  dexterity  of  a  rogue. " 

"Now  that  you  are  humbled,"  said  the  Prince,  "I 
command  no  longer ;  the  repentant  have  to  do  with  God 
and  not  with  princes.  But  if  you  will  let  me  advise  you, 
go  to  Australia  as  a  colonist,  seek  menial  labor  in  the  open 
air,  and  try  to  forget  that  you  have  ever  been  a  clergy- 
man, or  that  you  ever  set  eyes  on  that  accursed  stone." 

"  Accurst  indeed! "  replied  Mr.  Rolles.  "Where  is  it 
now  ?  What  further  hurt  is  it  not  working  for  man- 
kind?" 

"  It  will  do  no  more  evil,"  returned  the  Prince.  "  It 
is  here  in  my  pocket.  And  this, "  he  added,  kindly,  ' ■  will 
show  that  I  place  some  faith  in  your  penitence,  young 
as  it  is." 

"Suffer  me  to  touch  your  hand,"  pleaded  Mr.  Rolles. 

"No,"  replied  Prince  Florizel,  "not  yet." 
196 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

The  tone  in  which  he  uttered  these  last  words  was 
eloquent  in  the  ears  of  the  young  clergyman ;  and  for 
some  minutes  after  the  Prince  had  turned  away  he  stood 
on  the  threshold  following  with  his  eyes  the  retreating 
figure,  and  invoking  the  blessing  of  heaven  upon  a  man 
so  excellent  in  counsel. 

For  several  hours  the  Prince  walked  alone  in  unfre- 
quented streets.  His  mind  was  full  of  concern ;  what 
to  do  with  the  diamond,  whether  to  return  it  to  its 
owner,  whom  he  judged  unworthy  of  this  rare  posses- 
sion, or  to  take  some  sweeping  and  courageous  measure 
and  put  it  out  of  the  reach  of  all  mankind  at  once  and 
for  ever  was  a  problem  too  grave  to  be  decided  in  a 
moment.  The  manner  in  which  it  had  come  into  his 
hands  appeared  manifestly  providential ;  and  as  he  took 
out  the  jewel  and  looked  at  it  under  the  street  lamps,  its 
size  and  surprising  brilliancy  inclined  him  more  and  more 
to  think  of  it  as  an  unmixed  and  dangerous  evil  for  the 
world. 

"God  help  me!"  he  thought;  "if  I  look  at  it  much 
oftener  I  shall  begin  to  grow  covetous  myself. " 

At  last,  though  still  uncertain  in  his  mind,  he  turned 
his  steps  towards  the  small  but  elegant  mansion  on  the 
riverside,  which  had  belonged  for  centuries  to  his  royal 
family.  The  arms  of  Bohemia  are  deeply  graved  over 
the  door  and  upon  the  tall  chimneys ;  passengers  have  a 
look  into  a  green  court  set  with  the  most  costly  flowers, 
and  a  stork,  the  only  one  in  Paris,  perches  on  the  gable 
all  day  long  and  keeps  a  crowd  before  the  house.  Grave 
servants  are  seen  passing  to  and  fro  within;  and  from 
time  to  time  the  great  gate  is  thrown  open  and  a  car- 
riage rolls  below  the  arch.    For  many  reasons  this  resi- 

197 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

dence  was  especially  dear  to  the  heart  of  Prince  Florizel; 
he  never  drew  near  to  it  without  enjoying  that  senti- 
ment of  home-coming  so  rare  in  the  lives  of  the  great; 
and  on  the  present  evening  he  beheld  its  tall  roof  and 
mildly  illuminated  windows  with  unfeigned  relief  and 
satisfaction. 

As  he  was  approaching  the  postern  door  by  which  he 
always  entered  when  alone,  a  man  stepped  forth  from 
the  shadow  and  presented  himself  with  an  obeisance  in 
the  Prince's  path. 

"I  have  the  honour  of  addressing  Prince  Florizel  of 
Bohemia  ?  "  said  he. 

"Such  is  my  title,"  replied  the  Prince.  "What  do 
you  want  with  me?" 

"I  am,"  said  the  man,  "a  detective,  and  I  have  to 
present  your  Highness  with  this  billet  from  the  Prefect 
of  Police." 

The  Prince  took  the  letter  and  glanced  it  through  by 
the  light  of  the  street  lamp.  It  was  highly  apologetic, 
but  requested  him  to  follow  the  bearer  to  the  Prefecture 
without  delay. 

"In  short,"  said  Florizel,  "I  am  arrested." 

"  Your  Highness,"  replied  the  officer,  "  nothing,  I  am 
certain,  could  be  further  from  the  intention  of  the  Prefect. 
You  will  observe  that  he  has  not  granted  a  warrant. 
It  is  mere  formality,  or  call  it,  if  you  prefer,  an  obligation 
that  your  Highness  lays  on  the  authorities." 

"At  the  same  time,"  asked  the  Prince,  "if  I  were  to 
refuse  to  follow  you  ?" 

"I  will  not  conceal  from  your  Highness  that  a  con- 
siderable discretion  has  been  granted  me,"  replied  the 
detective  with  a  bow. 

198 


THE  RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

"Upon  my  word,"  cried  Florizel,  "your  effrontery 
confounds  me!  Yourself,  as  an  agent,  I  must  pardon; 
but  your  superiors  shall  dearly  smart  for  their  miscon- 
duct. What,  have  you  any  idea,  is  the  cause  of  this 
impolitic  and  unconstitutional  act  ?  You  will  observe 
that  I  have  as  yet  neither  refused  nor  consented  and 
much  may  depend  on  your  prompt  and  ingenuous  an- 
swer. Let  me  remind  you,  officer,  that  this  is  an  affair 
of  some  gravity. " 

"Your Highness,"  said  the  detective  humbly,  "Gen- 
eral Vandeleur  and  his  brother  have  had  the  incredible 
presumption  to  accuse  you  of  theft.  The  famous  dia- 
mond, they  declare,  is  in  your  hands.  A  word  from  you 
in  denial  will  most  amply  satisfy  the  Prefect;  nay,  I  go 
farther:  if  your  Highness  would  so  far  honour  a  sub- 
altern as  to  declare  his  ignorance  of  the  matter  even 
to  myself,  I  should  ask  permission  to  retire  upon  the 
spot." 

Florizel,  up  to  the  last  moment,  had  regarded  his 
adventure  in  the  light  of  a  trifle,  only  serious  upon  inter- 
national considerations.  At  the  name  of  Vandeleur  the 
horrible  truth  broke  upon  him  in  a  moment ;  he  was  not 
only  arrested,  but  he  was  guilty.  This  was  not  only  an 
annoying  incident  —  it  was  a  peril  to  his  honour.  What 
was  he  to  say?  What  was  he  to  do?  The  Rajah's 
Diamond  was  indeed  an  accursed  stone;  and  it  seemed 
as  if  he  were  to  be  the  last  victim  to  its  influence. 

One  thing  was  certain.  He  could  not  give  the  re- 
quired assurance  to  the  detective.     He  must  gain  time. 

His  hesitation  had  not  lasted  a  second. 

"  Be  it  so,"  said  he,  "let  us  walk  together  to  the  Pre- 
fecture." 

'99 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

The  man  once  more  bowed,  and  proceeded  to  follow 
Florizel  at  a  respectful  distance  in  the  rear. 

"Approach,"  said  the  Prince.  "  I  am  in  a  humour  to 
talk,  and,  if  I  mistake  not,  now  I  look  at  you  again,  this 
is  not  the  first  time  that  we  have  met." 

"  I  count  it  an  honour,"  replied  the  officer,  "that  your 
Highness  should  recollect  my  face.  It  is  eight  years 
since  I  had  the  pleasure  of  an  interview." 

"To  remember  faces,"  returned  Florizel,  "  is  as  much 
a  part  of  my  profession  as  it  is  of  yours.  Indeed,  rightly 
looked  upon,  a  Prince  and  a  detective  serve  in  the  same 
corps.  We  are  both  combatants  against  crime;  only 
mine  is  the  more  lucrative  and  yours  the  more  dangerous 
rank,  and  there  is  a  sense  in  which  both  may  be  made 
equally  honourable  to  a  good  man.  I  had  rather,  strange 
as  you  may  think  it,  be  a  detective  of  character  and  parts 
than  a  weak  and  ignoble  sovereign." 

The  officer  was  overwhelmed. 

' '  Your  Highness  returns  good  for  evil, ' '  said  he.  ' '  To 
an  act  of  presumption  he  replies  by  the  most  amiable 
condescension." 

"How  do  you  know,"  replied  Florizel,  "that  I  am 
not  seeking  to  corrupt  you  ?" 

"Heaven  preserve  me  from  the  temptation  I "  cried 
the  detective. 

"  I  applaud  your  answer,"  returned  the  Prince.  "  It 
is  that  of  a  wise  and  honest  man.  The  world  is  a  great 
place,  and  stocked  with  wealth  and  beauty,  and  there 
is  no  limit  to  the  rewards  that  may  be  offered.  Such  an 
one  who  would  refuse  a  million  of  money  may  sell  his 
honour  for  an  empire  or  the  love  of  a  woman ;  and  I  my- 
self, who  speak  to  you,  have  seen  occasions  so  tempt- 

200 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

ing,  provocations  so  irresistible  to  the  strength  of  human 
virtue,  that  I  have  been  glad  to  tread  in  your  steps  and 
recommend  myself  to  the  grace  of  God.  It  is  thus, 
thanks  to  that  modest  and  becoming  habit  alone,"  he 
added,  "that  you  and  I  can  walk  this  town  together 
with  untarnished  hearts." 

"I  had  always  heard  that  you  were  brave,"  replied 
the  officer,  "but  I  was  not  aware  that  you  were  wise 
and  pious.  You  speak  the  truth,  and  you  speak  it  with 
an  accent  that  moves  me  to  the  heart.  This  world  is 
indeed  a  place  of  trial." 

"We  are  now,"  said  Florizel,  "in  the  middle  of  the 
bridge.  Lean  your  elbows  on  the  parapet  and  look 
over.  As  the  water  rushing  below,  so  the  passions  and 
complications  of  life  carry  away  the  honesty  of  weak 
men.     Let  me  tell  you  a  story." 

"I  receive  your  Highness's  commands,"  replied  the 
man. 

And,  imitating  the  Prince,  he  leaned  against  the  par- 
apet, and  disposed  himself  to  listen.  The  city  was  al- 
ready sunk  in  slumber;  had  it  not  been  for  the  infinity 
of  lights  and  the  outline  of  buildings  on  the  starry  sky, 
they  might  have  been  alone  beside  some  country  river. 

"An  officer,"  began  Prince  Florizel,  "a  man  of  cour- 
age and  conduct,  who  had  already  risen  by  merit  to  an 
eminent  rank,  and  won  not  only  admiration  but  respect, 
visited,  in  an  unfortunate  hour  for  his  peace  of  mind,  the 
collections  of  an  Indian  Prince.  Here  he  beheld  a  dia- 
mond so  extraordinary  for  size  and  beauty  that  from  that 
instant  he  had  only  one  desire  in  life :  honour,  reputation, 
friendship,  the  love  of  country,  he  was  ready  to  sacrifice 
all  for  this  lump  of  sparkling  crystal.     For  three  years 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

he  served  this  semi-barbarian  potentate  as  Jacob  served 
Laban ;  he  falsified  frontiers,  he  connived  at  murders,  he 
unjustly  condemned  and  executed  a  brother-officer  who 
had  the  misfortune  to  displease  the  Rajah  by  some  hon- 
est freedoms ;  lastly,  at  a  time  of  great  danger  to  his  na- 
tive land,  he  betrayed  a  body  of  his  fellow-soldiers  and 
suffered  them  to  be  defeated  and  massacred  by  thou- 
sands. In  the  end  he  had  amassed  a  magnificent  for- 
tune, and  brought  home  with  him  the  coveted  diamond. 

"  Years  passed,"  continued  the  Prince,  "and  at  length 
the  diamond  is  accidentally  lost.  It  falls  into  the  hands 
of  a  simple  and  laborious  youth,  a  student,  a  minister 
of  God,  just  entering  on  a  career  of  usefulness  and  even 
distinction.  Upon  him  also  the  spell  is  cast;  he  deserts 
everything,  his  holy  calling,  his  studies,  and  flees  with 
the  gem  into  a  foreign  country.  The  officer  has  a 
brother,  an  astute,  daring,  unscrupulous  man,  who 
learns  the  clergyman's  secret.  What  does  he  do  ?  Tell 
his  brother,  inform  the  police  ?  No ;  upon  this  man  also 
the  Satanic  charm  has  fallen ;  he  must  have  the  stone 
for  himself.  At  the  risk  of  murder,  he  drugs  the  young 
priest  and  seizes  the  prey.  And  now,  by  an  accident 
which  is  not  important  to  my  moral,  the  jewel  passes 
out  of  his  custody  into  that  of  another,  who,  terrified  at 
what  he  sees,  gives  it  into  the  keeping  of  a  man  in  high 
station  and  above  reproach. 

"The  officer's  name  is  Thomas  Vandeleur,"  contin- 
ued Florizel.  ' '  The  stone  is  called  the  Rajah's  Diamond. 
And"  —  suddenly  opening  his  hand — "you  behold  it 
here  before  your  eyes." 

The  officer  started  back  with  a  cry. 

"We  have  spoken  of  corruption,"  said  the  Prince. 
202 


THE   RAJAH'S   DIAMOND 

"To  me  this  nugget  of  bright  crystal  is  as  loathsome  as 
though  it  were  crawling  with  the  worms  of  death ;  it  is 
as  shocking  as  though  it  were  compacted  out  of  inno- 
cent blood.  I  see  it  here  in  my  hand,  and  I  know  it  is 
shining  with  hell-fire.  I  have  told  you  but  a  hundredth 
part  of  its  story ;  what  passed  in  former  ages,  to  what 
crimes  and  treacheries  it  incited  men  of  yore,  the  imagi- 
nation trembles  to  conceive ;  for  years  and  years  it  has 
faithfully  served  the  powers  of  hell ;  enough,  I  say,  of 
blood,  enough  of  disgrace,  enough  of  broken  lives  and 
friendships;  all  things  come  to  an  end,  the  evil  like 
the  good;  pestilence  as  well  as  beautiful  music;  and 
as  for  this  diamond,  God  forgive  me  if  I  do  wrong,  but 
its  empire  ends  to-night." 

The  Prince  made  a  sudden  movement  with  his  hand, 
and  the  jewel,  describing  an  arc  of  light,  dived  with  a 
splash  into  the  flowing  river. 

"Amen,"  said  Florizel,  with  gravity.  "I  have  slain 
a  cockatrice!" 

"God  pardon  me!"  cried  the  detective.  "What 
have  you  done?    I  am  a  ruined  man." 

"1  think,"  returned  the  Prince,  with  a  smile,  "that 
many  well-to-do  people  in  this  city  might  envy  you 
your  ruin." 

"Alas!  your  Highness!"  said  the  officer,  "and  you 
corrupt  me  after  all  ?  " 

"  It  seems  there  was  no  help  for  it,"  replied  Florizel. 
"  And  now  let  us  go  forward  to  the  Prefecture." 

Not  long  after,  the  marriage  of  Francis  Scrymgeour 
and  Miss  Vandeleur  was  celebrated  in  great  privacy; 
and  the  Prince  acted  on  that  occasion  as  groom's  man. 

203 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

The  two  Vandeleurs  surprised  some  rumour  of  what  had 
happened  to  the  diamond ;  and  their  vast  diving  opera- 
tions on  the  River  Seine  are  the  wonder  and  amusement 
of  the  idle.  It  is  true  that  through  some  miscalculation 
they  have  chosen  the  wrong  branch  of  the  river.  As 
for  the  Prince,  that  sublime  person,  having  now  served 
his  turn,  may  go,  along  with  the  Arabian  Author,  topsy- 
turvy into  space.  But  if  the  reader  insists  on  more 
specific  information,  I  am  happy  to  say  that  a  recent 
revolution  hurled  him  from  the  throne  of  Bohemia,  in 
consequence  of  his  continued  absence  and  edifying  neg- 
lect of  public  business;  and  that  his  Highness  now  keeps 
a  cigar  store  in  Rupert  Street,  much  frequented  by  other 
foreign  refugees. 

1  go  there  from  time  to  time  to  smoke  and  have  a 
chat,  and  find  him  as  great  a  creature  as  in  the  days  of 
his  prosperity ;  he  has  an  Olympian  air  behind  the  coun- 
ter; and  although  a  sedentary  life  is  beginning  to  tell 
upon  his  waistcoat,  he  is  probably,  take  him  for  all  in 
all,  the  handsomest  tobacconist  in  London. 


204 


THE  PAVILION  ON  THE  LINKS 

INSCRIBED  TO 

D.  A.  S. 

IN  MEMORY   OF  DAYS  NEAR   F1DRA 


CHAPTER  I 

TELLS   HOW   1  CAMPED   IN   GRADEN  SEA-WOOD,    AND   BEHELD 
A   LIGHT   IN   THE    PAVILION 

I  was  a  great  solitary  when  I  was  young.  I  made  it 
my  pride  to  keep  aloof  and  suffice  for  my  own  enter- 
tainment; and  I  may  say  that  I  had  neither  friends  nor 
acquaintances  until  I  met  that  friend  who  became  my 
wife  and  the  mother  of  my  children.  With  one  man 
only  was  I  on  private  terms;  this  was  R.  Northmour, 
Esquire,  of  Graden  Easter,  in  Scotland.  We  had  met  at 
college;  and  though  there  was  not  much  liking  between 
us,  nor  even  much  intimacy,  we  were  so  nearly  of  a 
humour  that  we  could  associate  with  ease  to  both.  Mis- 
anthropes, we  believed  ourselves  to  be;  but  I  have 
thought  since  that  we  were  only  sulky  fellows.  It  was 
scarcely  a  companionship,  but  a  coexistence  in  unso- 
ciability. Northmour's  exceptional  violence  of  temper 
made  it  no  easy  affair  for  him  to  keep  the  peace  with 
anyone  but  me;  and  as  he  respected  my  silent  ways, 
and  let  me  come  and  go  as  I  pleased,  I  could  tolerate  his 
presence  without  concern.  I  think  we  called  each  other 
friends. 

When  Northmour  took  his  degree  and  I  decided  to 
leave  the  university  without  one,  he  invited  me  on  a 
long  visit  to  Graden  Easter;  and  it  was  thus  that  I  first 
became  acquainted  with  the  scene  of  my  adventures.  The 

207 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

mansion  house  of  Graden  stood  in  a  bleak  stretch  of 
country  some  three  miles  from  the  shore  of  the  German 
Ocean.  It  was  as  large  as  a  barrack ;  and  as  it  had  been 
built  of  a  soft  stone,  liable  to  consume  in  the  eager  air 
of  the  seaside,  it  was  damp  and  draughty  within  and 
half  ruinous  without.  It  was  impossible  for  two  young 
men  to  lodge  with  comfort  in  such  a  dwelling.  But 
there  stood  in  the  northern  part  of  the  estate,  in  a  wilder- 
ness of  links  and  blowing  sand-hills,  and  between  a 
plantation  and  the  sea,  a  small  Pavilion  or  Belvedere,  of 
modern  design,  which  was  exactly  suited  to  our  wants ; 
and  in  this  hermitage,  speaking  little,  reading  much,  and 
rarely  associating  except  at  meals,  Northmour  and  I 
spent  four  tempestuous  winter  months. .  I  might  have 
stayed  longer;  but  cne  March  night  there  sprang  up 
between  us  a  dispute,  which  rendered  my  departure  ne- 
cessary. Northmour  spoke  hotly,  I  remember,  and  I  sup- 
pose I  must  have  made  some  tart  rejoinder.  He  leaped 
from  his  chair  and  grappled  me ;  I  had  to  fight,  without 
exaggeration,  for  my  life ;  and  it  was  only  with  a  great 
effort  that  I  mastered  him,  for  he  was  near  as  strong  in 
body  as  myself,  and  seemed  filled  with  the  devil.  The 
next  morning,  we  met  on  our  usual  terms ;  but  I  judged 
it  more  delicate  to  withdraw ;  nor  did  he  attempt  to  dis- 
suade me. 

It  was  nine  years  before  I  revisited  the  neighbourhood. 
I  travelled  at  that  time  with  a  tilt  cart,  a  tent,  and  a  cook- 
ing-stove, tramping  all  day  beside  the  wagon,  and  at 
night,  whenever  it  was  possible,  gipsying  in  a  cove  of 
the  hills,  or  by  the  side  of  a  wood.  I  believe  I  visited 
in  this  manner  most  of  the  wild  and  desolate  regions 
both  in  England  and  Scotland;  and,  as  I  had  neither 

208 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

friends  nor  relations,  I  was  troubled  with  no  correspon- 
dence, and  had  nothing  in  the  nature  of  head-quarters, 
unless  it  was  the  office  of  my  solicitors,  from  whom  I 
drew  my  income  twice  a  year.  It  was  a  life  in  which 
I  delighted ;  and  I  fully  thought  to  have  grown  old  upon 
the  march,  and  at  last  died  in  a  ditch. 

It  was  my  whole  business  to  find  desolate  corners, 
where  I  could  camp  without  the  fear  of  interruption; 
and  hence  being  in  another  part  of  the  same  shire,  I  be- 
thought me  suddenly  of  the  Pavilion  on  the  Links.  No 
thoroughfare  passed  within  three  miles  of  it.  The  near- 
est town,  and  that  was  but  a  fisher  village,  was  at  a  dis- 
tance of  six  or  seven.  For  ten  miles  of  length,  and  from 
a  depth  varying  from  three  miles  to  half  a  mile,  this  belt 
of  barren  country  lay  along  the  sea.  The  beach,  which 
was  the  natural  approach,  was  full  of  quicksands.  In- 
deed I  may  say  there  is  hardly  a  better  place  of  conceal- 
ment in  the  United  Kingdom.  I  determined  to  pass  a 
week  in  the  Sea-Wood  of  Graden  Easter,  and  making  a 
long  stage,  reached  it  about  sundown  on  a  wild  Sep- 
tember day. 

The  country,  I  have  said,  was  mixed  sand-hill  and 
links;  links  being  a  Scottish  name  for  sand  which  has 
ceased  drifting  and  become  more  or  less  solidly  covered 
with  turf.  The  pavilion  stood  on  an  even  space ;  a  little 
behind  it,  the  wood  began  in  a  hedge  of  elders  huddled 
together  by  the  wind ;  in  front,  a  few  tumbled  sand-hills 
stood  between  it  and  the  sea.  An  outcropping  of  rock 
had  formed  a  bastion  for  the  sand,  so  that  there  was 
here  a  promontory  in  the  coast-line  between  two  shallow 
bays;  and  just  beyond  the  tides,  the  rock  again  cropped 
out  and  formed  an  islet  of  small  dimensions  but  strik- 

209 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

ingly  designed.  The  quicksands  were  of  great  extent  at 
low  water,  and  had  an  infamous  reputation  in  the  country. 
Close  in  shore,  between  the  islet  and  the  promontory, 
it  was  said  that  they  would  swallow  a  man  in  four 
minutes  and  a  half;  but  there  may  have  been  little 
ground  for  this  precision.  The  district  was  alive  with 
rabbits,  and  haunted  by  gulls  which  made  a  continual 
piping  about  the  pavilion.  On  summer  days  the  out- 
look was  bright  and  even  gladsome;  but  at  sundown  in 
September,  with  a  high  wind,  and  a  heavy  surf  rolling 
in  close  along  the  links,  the  place  told  of  nothing  but 
dead  mariners  and  sea  disasters.  A  ship  beating  to 
windward  on  the  horizon,  and  a  huge  truncheon  of 
wreck  half  buried  in  the  sands  at  my  feet,  completed  the 
innuendo  of  the  scene. 

The  pavilion  —  it  had  been  built  by  the  last  proprietor, 
Northmour's  uncle,  a  silly  and  prodigal  virtuoso  —  pre- 
sented little  signs  of  age.  It  was  two  stories  in  height, 
Italian  in  design,  surrounded  by  a  patch  of  garden  in 
which  nothing  had  prospered  but  a  few  coarse  flowers ; 
and  looked,  with  its  shuttered  windows,  not  like  a  house 
that  had  been  deserted,  but  like  one  that  had  never  been 
tenanted  by  man.  Northmour  was  plainly  from  home ; 
whether,  as  usual,  sulking  in  the  cabin  of  his  yacht,  or 
in  one  of  his  fitful  and  extravagant  appearances  in  the 
world  of  society,  I  had,  of  course,  no  means  of  guessing. 
The  place  had  an  air  of  solitude  that  daunted  even  a 
solitary  like  myself;  the  wind  cried  in  the  chimneys 
with  a  strange  and  wailing  note;  and  it  was  with  a 
sense  of  escape,  as  if  I  were  going  indoors,  that  I  turned 
away  and  driving  my  cart  before  me  entered  the  skirts 
of  the  wood. 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

The  Sea-Wood  of  Graden  had  been  planted  to  shelter 
the  cultivated  fields  behind,  and  check  the  encroach- 
ments of  the  blowing  sand.  As  you  advanced  into  it 
from  coastward,  elders  were  succeeded  by  other  hardy 
shrubs ;  but  the  timber  was  all  stunted  and  bushy ;  it 
led  a  life  of  conflict;  the  trees  were  accustomed  to 
swing  there  all  night  long  in  fierce  winter  tempests ;  and 
even  in  early  spring,  the  leaves  were  already  flying,  and 
autumn  was  beginning,  in  this  exposed  plantation.  In- 
land the  ground  rose  into  a  little  hill,  which,  along  with 
the  islet,  served  as  a  sailing  mark  for  seamen.  When 
the  hill  was  open  of  the  islet  to  the  north,  vessels  must 
bear  well  to  the  eastward  to  clear  Graden  Ness  and  the 
Graden  Bullers.  In  the  lower  ground,  a  streamlet  ran 
among  the  trees,  and,  being  dammed  with  dead  leaves 
and  clay  of  its  own  carrying,  spread  out  every  here  and 
there,  and  lay  in  stagnant  pools.  One  or  two  ruined 
cottages  were  dotted  about  the  wood;  and,  according 
to  Northmour,  these  were  ecclesiastical  foundations, 
and  in  their  time  had  sheltered  pious  hermits. 

I  found  a  den,  or  small  hollow,  where  there  was  a 
spring  of  pure  water;  and  there,  clearing  away  the 
brambles,  I  pitched  the  tent,  and  made  a  fire  to  cook 
my  supper.  My  horse  I  picketed  farther  in  the  wood, 
where  there  was  a  patch  of  sward.  The  banks  of  the 
den  not  only  concealed  the  light  of  my  fire,  but  sheltered 
me  from  the  wind,  which  was  cold  as  well  as  high. 

The  life  I  was  leading  made  me  both  hardy  and  frugal. 
I  never  drank  but  water,  and  rarely  ate  anything  more 
costly  than  oatmeal ;  and  I  required  so  little  sleep,  that, 
although  I  rose  with  the  peep  of  day,  I  would  often  lie 
long  awake  in  the  dark  or  starry  watches  of  the  night. 

211 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

Thus  in  Graden  Sea- Wood,  although  I  fell  thankfully 
asleep  by  eight  in  the  evening,  I  was  awake  again  before 
eleven  with  a  full  possession  of  my  faculties,  and  no 
sense  of  drowsiness  or  fatigue.  I  rose  and  sat  by  the 
fire,  watching  the  trees  and  clouds  tumultuously  tossing 
and  fleeing  overhead,  and  hearkening  to  the  wind  and 
rollers  along  the  shore;  till  at  length,  growing  weary  of 
inaction,  I  quitted  the  den,  and  strolled  towards  the 
borders  of  the  wood.  A  young  moon,  buried  in  mist, 
gave  a  faint  illumination  to  my  steps ;  and  the  light  grew 
brighter  as  I  walked  forth  into  the  links.  At  the  same 
moment,  the  wind,  smelling  salt  of  the  open  ocean  and 
carrying  particles  of  sand,  struck  me  with  its  full  force, 
so  that  I  had  to  bow  my  head. 

When  I  raised  it  again  to  look  about  me,  I  was  aware 
of  a  light  in  the  pavilion.  It  was  not  stationary ;  but 
passed  from  one  window  to  another,  as  though  some 
one  were  reviewing  the  different  apartments  with  a  lamp 
or  candle.  I  watched  it  for  some  seconds  in  great  sur- 
prise. When  I  had  arrived  in  the  afternoon  the  house 
had  been  plainly  deserted ;  now  it  was  as  plainly  occu- 
pied. It  was  my  first  idea  that  a  gang  of  thieves  might 
have  broken  in  and  be  now  ransacking  Northmour's 
cupboards,  which  were  many  and  not  ill  supplied.  But 
what  should  bring  thieves  to  Graden  Easter?  And, 
again,  all  the  shutters  had  been  thrown  open,  and  it 
would  have  been  more  in  the  character  of  such  gentry 
to  close  them.  I  dismissed  the  notion,  and  fell  back 
upon  another.  Northmour  himself  must  have  arrived, 
and  was  now  airing  and  inspecting  the  pavilion. 

I  have  said  that  there  was  no  real  affection  between 
this  man  and  me;  but,  had  I  loved  him  like  a  brother,  I 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

was  then  so  much  in  love  with  solitude  that  I  should 
none  the  less  have  shunned  his  company.  As  it  was,  I 
turned  and  ran  for  it;  and  it  was  with  genuine  satisfac- 
tion that  I  found  myself  safely  back  beside  the  fire.  I 
had  escaped  an  acquaintance;  I  should  have  one  more 
night  in  comfort.  In  the  morning,  I  might  either  slip 
away  before  Northmour  was  abroad,  or  pay  him  as  short 
a  visit  as  I  chose. 

But  when  morning  came,  I  thought  the  situation  so 
diverting  that  I  forgot  my  shyness.  Northmour  was  at 
my  mercy;  I  arranged  a  good  practical  jest,  though  I 
knew  well  that  my  neighbour  was  not  the  man  to  jest 
with  in  security ;  and,  chuckling  beforehand  over  its  suc- 
cess, took  my  place  among  the  elders  at  the  edge  of  the 
wood,  whence  I  could  command  the  door  of  the  pavilion. 
The  shutters  were  all  once  more  closed,  which  I  remem- 
ber thinking  odd ;  and  the  house,  with  its  white  walls 
and  green  Venetians,  looked  spruce  and  habitable  in  the 
morning  light.  Hour  after  hour  passed,  and  still  no  sign 
of  Northmour.  I  knew  him  for  a  sluggard  in  the  morn- 
ing; but,  as  it  drew  on  towards  noon,  I  lost  my  patience. 
To  say  the  truth,  I  had  promised  myself  to  break  my  fast 
in  the  pavilion,  and  hunger  began  to  prick  me  sharply. 
It  was  a  pity  to  let  the  opportunity  go  by  without  some 
cause  for  mirth ;  but  the  grosser  appetite  prevailed,  and 
I  relinquished  my  jest  with  regret,  and  sallied  from  the 
wood. 

The  appearance  of  the  house  affected  me,  as  I  drew 
near,  with  disquietude.  It  seemed  unchanged  since 
last  evening;  and  I  had  expected  it,  I  scarce  knew  why, 
to  wear  some  external  signs  of  habitation.  But  no: 
the  windows  were  all  closely  shuttered,  the  chimneys 

213 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

breathed  no  smoke,  and  the  front  door  itself  was  closely 
padlocked.  Northmour,  therefore,  had  entered  by  the 
back;  this  was  the  natural,  and,  indeed,  the  necessary 
conclusion;  and  you  may  judge  of  my  surprise  when, 
on  turning  the  house,  I  found  the  back  door  similarly 
secured. 

My  mind  at  once  reverted  to  the  original  theory  of 
thieves ;  and  I  blamed  myself  sharply,for  my  last  night's 
inaction.  I  examined  all  the  windows  on  the  lower 
story,  but  none  of  them  had  been  tampered  with ;  I  tried 
the  padlocks,  but  they  were  both  secure.  It  thus  be- 
came a  problem  how  the  thieves,  if  thieves  they  were, 
had  managed  to  enter  the  house.  They  must  have  got, 
I  reasoned,  upon  the  roof  of  the  outhouse  where  North- 
mour used  to  keep  his  photographic  battery ;  and  from 
thence,  either  by  the  window  of  the  study  or  that  of  my 
old  bedroom,  completed  their  burglarious  entry. 

I  followed  what  I  supposed  was  their  example;  and, 
getting  on  the  roof,  tried  the  shutters  of  each  room. 
Both  were  secure;  but  I  was  not  to  be  beaten;  and, 
with  a  little  force,  one  of  them  flew  open,  grazing,  as  it 
did  so,  the  back  of  my  hand.  I  remember,  I  put  the 
wound  to  my  mouth,  and  stood  for  perhaps  half  a  min- 
ute licking  it  like  a  dog,  and  mechanically  gazing  behind 
me  over  the  waste  links  and  the  sea;  and,  in  that  space 
of  time,  my  eye  made  note  of  a  large  schooner  yacht 
some  miles  to  the  north-east.  Then  I  threw  up  the 
window  and  climbed  in. 

I  went  over  the  house,  and  nothing  can  express  my 
mystification.  There  was  no  sign  of  disorder,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  the  rooms  were  unusually  clean  and  pleas- 
ant.    I  found  fires  laid,  ready  for  lighting;  three  bed- 

214 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

rooms  prepared  with  a  luxury  quite  foreign  to  North- 
mour's  habits,  and  with  water  in  the  ewers  and  the  beds 
turned  down ;  a  table  set  for  three  in  the  dining-room ; 
and  an  ample  supply  of  cold  meats,  game  and  vegeta- 
bles on  the  pantry  shelves.  There  were  guests  ex- 
pected, that  was  plain ;  but  why  guests,  when  North- 
mour  hated  society  ?  And,  above  all,  why  was  the 
house  thus  stealthily  prepared  at  dead  of  night?  and 
why  were  the  shutters  closed  and  the  doors  padlocked  ? 

I  effaced  all  traces  of  my  visit,  and  came  forth  from 
the  window  feeling  sobered  and  concerned. 

The  schooner  yacht  was  still  in  the  same  place ;  and 
it  flashed  for  a  moment  through  my  mind  that  this 
might  be  the  Red  Earl  bringing  the  owner  of  the  pavil- 
ion and  his  guests.  But  the  vessel's  head  was  set  the 
other  way. 


315 


CHAPTER  II 

TELLS  OF   THE   NOCTURNAL   LANDING   FROM   THE  YACHT 

I  returned  to  the  den  to  cook  myself  a  meal,  of  which 
I  stood  in  great  need,  as  well  as  to  care  for  my  horse, 
whom  I  had  somewhat  neglected  in  the  morning.  From 
time  to  time  I  went  down  to  the  edge  of  the  wood ;  but 
there  was  no  change  in  the  pavilion,  and  not  a  human 
creature  was  seen  all  day  upon  the  links.  The  schooner 
in  the  offing  was  the  one  touch  of  life  within  my  range 
of  vision.  She,  apparently  with  no  set  object,  stood  off 
and  on  or  lay  to,  hour  after  hour;  but  as  the  evening 
deepened,  she  drew  steadily  nearer.  I  became  more 
convinced  that  she  carried  Northmour  and  his  friends, 
and  that  they  would  probably  come  ashore  after  dark ; 
not  only  because  that  was  of  a  piece  with  the  secrecy 
of  the  preparations,  but  because  the  tide  would  not  have 
flowed  sufficiently  before  eleven  to  cover  Graden  Floe 
and  the  other  sea  quags  that  fortified  the  shore  against 
invaders. 

All  day  the  wind  had  been  going  down,  and  the  sea 
along  with  it ;  but  there  was  a  return  towards  sunset  of 
the  heavy  weather  of  the  day  before.  The  night  set  in 
pitch  dark.  The  wind  came  off  the  sea  in  squalls,  like 
the  firing  of  a  battery  of  cannon ;  now  and  then  there 
was  a  flaw  of  rain,  and  the  surf  rolled  heavier  with  the 

216 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

rising  tide.  I  was  down  at  my  observatory  among  the 
elders,  when  a  light  was  run  up  to  the  masthead  of 
the  schooner,  and  showed  she  was  closer  in  than  when 
I  had  last  seen  her  by  the  dying  daylight.  I  concluded 
that  this  must  be  a  signal  to  Northmour's  associates  on 
shore ;  and,  stepping  forth  into  the  links,  looked  around 
me  for  something  in  response. 

A  small  footpath  ran  along  the  margin  of  the  wood, 
and  formed  the  most  direct  communication  between  the 
pavilion  and  the  mansion  house;  and,  as  I  cast  my  eyes 
to  that  side,  I  saw  a  spark  of  light,  not  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  away,  and  rapidly  approaching.  From  its  uneven 
course  it  appeared  to  be  the  light  of  a  lantern  carried  by 
a  person  who  followed  the  windings  of  the  path,  and 
was  often  staggered  and  taken  aback  by  the  more  vio- 
lent squalls.  I  concealed  myself  once  more  among  the 
elders,  and  waited  eagerly  for  the  new  comer's  advance. 
It  proved  to  be  a  woman;  and,  as  she  passed  within 
half  a  rod  of  my  ambush,  I  was  able  to  recognise  the 
features.  The  deaf  and  silent  old  dame,  who  had  nursed 
Northmour  in  his  childhood,  was  his  associate  in  this 
underhand  affair. 

I  followed  her  at  a  little  distance,  taking  advantage  of 
the  innumerable  heights  and  hollows,  concealed  by  the 
darkness,  and  favoured  not  only  by  the  nurse's  deaf- 
ness, but  the  uproar  of  the  wind  and  surf.  She  entered 
the  pavilion,  and,  going  at  once  to  the  upper  story, 
opened  and  set  a  light  in  one  of  the  windows  that 
looked  towards  the  sea.  Immediately  afterwards  the 
light  at  the  schooner's  masthead  was  run  down  and  ex- 
tinguished. Its  purpose  had  been  attained,  and  those 
on  board  were  sure  that  they  were  expected.     The  old 

217 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

woman  resumed  her  preparations;  although  the  other 
shutters  remained  closed,  I  could  see  a  glimmer  going  to 
and  fro  about  the  house;  and  a  gush  of  sparks  from  one 
chimney  after  another  soon  told  me  that  the  fires  were 
being  kindled. 

Northmour  and  his  guests,  I  was  now  persuaded, 
would  come  ashore  as  soon  as  there  was  water  on  the 
floe.  It  was  a  wild  night  for  boat  service ;  and  I  felt 
some  alarm  mingle  with  my  curiosity  as  I  reflected  on 
the  danger  of  the  landing.  My  old  acquaintance,  it  was 
true,  was  the  most  eccentric  of  men;  but  the  present 
eccentricity  was  both  disquieting  and  lugubrious  to  con- 
sider. A  variety  of  feelings  thus  led  me  towards  the 
beach,  where  I  lay  flat  on  my  face  in  a  hollow  within 
six  feet  of  the  track  that  led  to  the  pavilion.  Thence,  I 
should  have  the  satisfaction  of  recognising  the  arrivals, 
and,  if  they  should  prove  to  be  acquaintances,  greeting 
them  as  soon  as  they  had  landed. 

Some  time  before  eleven,  while  the  tide  was  still 
dangerously  low,  a  boat's  lantern  appeared  close  in  shore ; 
and,  my  attention  being  thus  awakened,  I  could  per- 
ceive another  still  far  to  seaward,  violently  tossed,  and 
sometimes  hidden  by  the  billows.  The  weather,  which 
was  getting  dirtier  as  the  night  went  on,  and  the  peril- 
ous situation  of  the  yacht  upon  a  lee-shore,  had  prob- 
ably driven  them  to  attempt  a  landing  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment. 

A  little  afterwards,  four  yachtsmen  carrying  a  very 
heavy  chest,  and  guided  by  a  fifth  with  a  lantern,  passed 
close  in  front  of  me  as  I  lay,  and  were  admitted  to  the 
pavilion  by  the  nurse.  They  returned  to  the  beach,  and 
passed  me  a  third  time  with  another  chest,  larger  but 

218 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

apparently  not  so  heavy  as  the  first.  A  third  time  they 
made  the  transit ;  and  on  this  occasion  one  of  the  yachts- 
men carried  a  leather  portmanteau,  and  the  others  a 
lady's  trunk  and  carriage  bag.  My  curiosity  was  sharply 
excited.  If  a  woman  were  among  the  guests  of  North- 
mour,  it  would  show  a  change  in  his  habits  and  an 
apostasy  from  his  pet  theories  of  life,  well  calculated  to 
fill  me  with  surprise.  When  he  and  I  dwelt  there  to- 
gether, the  pavilion  had  been  a  temple  of  misogyny. 
And  now,  one  of  the  detested  sex  was  to  be  installed 
under  its  roof.  I  remembered  one  or  two  particulars, 
a  few  notes  of  daintiness  and  almost  of  coquetry  which 
had  struck  me  the  day  before  as  I  surveyed  the  prepa- 
rations in  the  house ;  their  purpose  was  now  clear,  and 
I  thought  myself  dull  not  to  have  perceived  it  from  the 
first. 

While  I  was  thus  reflecting  a  second  lantern  drew 
near  me  from  the  beach.  It  was  carried  by  a  yachts- 
man whom  I  had  not  yet  seen,  and  who  was  conduct- 
ing two  other  persons  to  the  pavilion.  These  two  per- 
sons were  unquestionably  the  guests  for  whom  the 
house  was  made  ready ;  and,  straining  eye  and  ear,  I  set 
myself  to  watch  them  as  they  passed.  One  was  an  un- 
usually tall  man,  in  a  travelling  hat  slouched  over  his 
eyes,  and  a  highland  cape  closely  buttoned  and  turned 
up  so  as  to  conceal  his  face.  You  could  make  out  no 
more  of  him  than  that  he  was,  as  I  have  said,  unusually 
tall,  and  walked  feebly  with  a  heavy  stoop.  By  his 
side,  and  either  clinging  to  him  or  giving  him  support  — 
I  could  not  make  out  which  —  was  a  young,  tall,  and 
slender  figure  of  a  woman.  She  was  extremely  pale ; 
but  in  the  light  of  the  lantern  her  face  was  so  marred 

219 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

by  strong  and  changing  shadows,  that  she  might  equally 
well  have  been  as  ugly  as  sin  or  as  beautiful  as  I  after- 
wards found  her  to  be. 

When  they  were  just  abreast  of  me,  the  girl  made 
some  remark  which  was  drowned  by  the  noise  of  the 
wind. 

"  Hush  !  "  said  her  companion;  and  there  was  some- 
thing in  the  tone  with  which  the  word  was  uttered  that 
thrilled  and  rather  shook  my  spirits.  It  seemed  to  breathe 
from  a  bosom  labouring  under  the  deadliest  terror ;  I  have 
never  heard  another  syllable  so  expressive;  and  I  still 
hear  it  again  when  I  am  feverish  at  night,  and  my  mind 
runs  upon  old  times.  The  man  turned  towards  the 
girl  as  he  spoke ;  I  had  a  glimpse  of  much  red  beard  and 
a  nose  which  seemed  to  have  been  broken  in  youth; 
and  his  light  eyes  seemed  shining  in  his  face  with  some 
strong  and  unpleasant  emotion. 

But  these  two  passed  on  and  were  admitted  in  their 
turn  to  the  pavilion. 

One  by  one,  or  in  groups,  the  seamen  returned  to  the 
beach.  The  wind  brought  me  the  sound  of  a  rough 
voice  crying,  "  Shove  off ! "  Then,  after  a  pause,  another 
lantern  drew  near.     It  was  Northmour  alone. 

My  wife  and  I,  a  man  and  a  woman,  have  often  agreed 
to  wonder  how  a  person  could  be,  at  the  same  time,  so 
handsome  and  so  repulsive  as  Northmour.  He  had  the 
appearance  of  a  finished  gentleman ;  his  face  bore  every 
mark  of  intelligence  and  courage,  but  you  had  only  to 
look  at  him,  even  in  his  most  amiable  moment,  to  see 
that  he  had  the  temper  of  a  slave  captain.  I  never  knew 
a  character  that  was  both  explosive  and  revengeful  to  the 
same  degree ;  he  combined  the  vivacity  of  the  south  with 

220 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE  LINKS 

the  sustained  and  deadly  hatreds  of  the  north ;  and  both 
traits  were  plainly  written  on  his  face,  which  was  a  sort 
of  danger  signal.  In  person  he  was  tall,  strong,  and  ac- 
tive ;  his  hair  and  complexion  very  dark ;  his  features  hand- 
somely designed,  but  spoiled  by  a  menacing  expression. 

At  that  moment  he  was  somewhat  paler  than  by  na- 
ture ;  he  wore  a  heavy  frown ;  and  his  lips  worked,  and  he 
looked  sharply  round  as  he  walked,  like  a  man  besieged 
with  apprehensions.  And  yet  I  thought  he  had  a  look 
of  triumph  underlying  all,  as  though  he  had  already  done 
much,  and  was  near  the  end  of  an  achievement. 

Partly  from  a  scruple  of  delicacy  —  which  I  dare  say 
came  too  late  —  partly  from  the  pleasure  of  startling  an 
acquaintance,  I  desired  to  make  my  presence  known  to 
him  without  delay. 

I  got  suddenly  to  my  feet,  and  stepped  forward. 

"Northmour!"  said  I. 

I  have  never  had  so  shocking  a  surprise  in  all  my  days. 
He  leaped  on  me  without  a  word ;  something  shone  in 
his  hand;  and  he  struck  for  my  heart  with  a  dagger. 
At  the  same  moment  I  knocked  him  head  over  heels. 
Whether  it  was  my  quickness,  or  his  own  uncertainty,  I 
know  not;  but  the  blade  only  grazed  my  shoulder  while 
the  hilt  and  his  fist  struck  me  violently  on  the  mouth. 

I  fled,  but  not  far.  I  had  often  and  often  observed  the 
capabilities  of  the  sand-hills  for  protracted  ambush  or 
stealthy  advances  and  retreats ;  and,  not  ten  yards  from 
the  scene  of  the  scuffle,  plumped  down  again  upon  the 
grass.  The  lantern  had  fallen  and  gone  out.  But  what 
was  my  astonishment  to  see  Northmour  slip  at  a  bound 
into  the  pavilion,  and  hear  him  bar  the  door  behind  him 
with  a  clang  of  iron ! 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

He  had  not  pursued  me.  He  had  run  away.  Northmour, 
whom  I  knew  for  the  most  implacable  and  daring  of 
men,  had  run  away !  I  could  scarce  believe  my  reason ; 
and  yet  in  this  strange  business,  where  all  was  incredible, 
there  was  nothing  to  make  a  work  about  in  an  incredi- 
bility more  or  less.  For  why  was  the  pavilion  secretly 
prepared  ?  Why  had  Northmour  landed  with  his  guests 
at  dead  of  night,  in  half  a  gale  of  wind,  and  with  the 
floe  scarce  covered  ?  Why  had  he  sought  to  kill  me  ? 
Had  he  not  recognised  my  voice  ?  I  wondered.  And, 
above  all,  how  had  he  come  to  have  a  dagger  ready  in 
his  hand  ?  A  dagger,  or  even  a  sharp  knife,  seemed  out 
of  keeping  with  the  age  in  which  we  lived ;  and  a  gentle- 
man landing  from  his  yacht  on  the  shore  of  his  own 
estate,  even  although  it  was  at  night  and  with  some 
mysterious  circumstances,  does  not  usually,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  walk  thus  prepared  for  deadly  onslaught.  The 
more  I  reflected,  the  further  I  felt  at  sea.  I  recapitulated 
the  elements  of  mystery,  counting  them  on  my  fingers : 
the  pavilion  secretly  prepared  for  guests;  the  guests 
landed  at  the  risk  of  their  lives  and  to  the  imminent  peril 
of  the  yacht ;  the  guests,  or  at  least  one  of  them,  in  un- 
disguised and  seemingly  causeless  terror;  Northmour 
with  a  naked  weapon;  Northmour  stabbing  his  most 
intimate  acquaintance  at  a  word;  last,  and  not  least 
strange,  Northmour  fleeing  from  the  man  whom  he  had 
sought  to  murder,  and  barricading  himself,  like  a  hunted 
creature,  behind  the  door  of  the  pavilion.  Here  were  at 
least  six  separate  causes  for  extreme  surprise ;  each  part 
and  parcel  with  the  others,  and  forming  all  together  one 
consistent  story.  I  felt  almost  ashamed  to  believe  my 
own  senses. 

222 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

As  I  thus  stood  transfixed  with  wonder,  I  began  to 
grow  painfully  conscious  of  the  injuries  I  had  received 
in  the  scuffle ;  skulked  round  among  the  sand-hills ;  and, 
by  a  devious  path,  regained  the  shelter  of  the  wood. 
On  the  way,  the  old  nurse  passed  again  within  several 
yards  of  me,  still  carrying  her  lantern,  on  the  return  jour- 
ney to  the  mansion-house  of  Graden.  This  made  a 
seventh  suspicious  feature  in  the  case.  Northmour  and 
his  guests,  it  appeared,  were  to  cook  and  do  the  clean- 
ing for  themselves,  while  the  old  woman  continued  to 
inhabit  the  big  empty  barrack  among  the  policies. 
There  must  surely  be  great  cause  for  secrecy,  when  so 
many  inconveniences  were  confronted  to  preserve  it. 

So  thinking,  I  made  my  way  to  the  den.  For  greater 
security,  I  trod  out  the  embers  of  the  fire,  and  lit  my 
lantern  to  examine  the  wound  upon  my  shoulder.  It 
was  a  trifling  hurt,  although  it  bled  somewhat  freely,  and 
I  dressed  it  as  well  as  I  could  (for  its  position  made  it 
difficult  to  reach)  with  some  rag  and  cold  water  from 
the  spring.  While  I  was  thus  busied,  I  mentally  declared 
war  against  Northmour  and  his  mystery.  I  am  not  an 
angry  man  by  nature,  and  I  believe  there  was  more  curi- 
osity than  resentment  in  my  heart.  But  war  I  certainly 
declared ;  and,  by  way  of  preparation,  I  got  out  my  re- 
volver, and,  having  drawn  the  charges,  cleaned  and  re- 
loaded it  with  scrupulous  care.  Next  I  became  preoc- 
cupied about  my  horse.  It  might  break  loose,  or  fall  to 
neighing,  and  so  betray  my  camp  in  the  Sea-Wood.  I 
determined  to  rid  myself  of  its  neighbourhood ;  and  long 
before  dawn  I  was  leading  it  over  the  links  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  fisher  village. 


223 


CHAPTER  III 

TELLS    HOW    I   BECAME   ACQUAINTED   WITH   MY   WIFE 

For  two  days  I  skulked  round  the  pavilion,  profiting 
by  the  uneven  surface  of  the  links.  I  became  an  adept 
in  the  necessary  tactics.  These  low  hillocks  and  shal- 
low dells,  running  one  into  another,  became  a  kind  of 
cloak  of  darkness  for  my  enthralling,  but  perhaps  dis- 
honourable, pursuit.  Yet,  in  spite  of  this  advantage,  I 
could  learn  but  little  of  Northmour  or  his  guests. 

Fresh  provisions  were  brought  under  cover  of  dark- 
ness by  the  old  woman  from  the  mansion-house.  North- 
mour and  the  young  lady,  sometimes  together,  but  more 
often  singly,  would  walk  for  an  hour  or  two  at  a  time 
on  the  beach  beside  the  quicksand.  I  could  not  but  con- 
clude that  this  promenade  was  chosen  with  an  eye  to 
secrecy;  for  the  spot  was  open  only  to  the  seaward. 
But  it  suited  me  not  less  excellently;  the  highest  and 
most  accidented  of  the  sand-hills  immediately  adjoined ; 
and  from  these,  lying  flat  in  a  hollow,  I  could  overlook 
Northmour  or  the  young  lady  as  they  walked. 

The  tall  man  seemed  to  have  disappeared.  Not  only 
did  he  never  cross  the  threshold,  but  he  never  so  much 
as  showed  face  at  a  window;  or,  at  least,  not  so  far  as  I 
could  see ;  for  I  dared  not  creep  forward  beyond  a  certain 
distance  in  the  day,  since  the  upper  floor  commanded 

224 


THE  PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

the  bottoms  of  the  links ;  and  at  night,  when  I  could 
venture  farther,  the  lower  windows  were  barricaded  as 
if  to  stand  a  siege.  Sometimes  I  thought  the  tall  man 
must  be  confined  to  bed,  for  I  remembered  the  feebleness 
of  his  gait;  and  sometimes  I  thought  he  must  have  gone 
clear  away,  and  that  Northmour  and  the  young  lady  re- 
mained alone  together  in  the  pavilion.  The  idea,  even 
then,  displeased  me. 

Whether  or  not  this  pair  were  man  and  wife,  I  had 
seen  abundant  reason  to  doubt  the  friendliness  of  their 
relation.  Although  I  could  hear  nothing  of  what  they 
said,  and  rarely  so  much  as  glean  a  decided  expression 
on  the  face  of  either,  there  was  a  distance,  almost  a  stiff- 
ness, in  their  bearing  which  showed  them  to  be  either 
unfamiliar  or  at  enmity.  The  girl  walked  faster  when 
she  was  with  Northmour  than  when  she  was  alone; 
and  I  conceived  that  any  inclination  between  a  man  and 
a  woman  would  rather  delay  than  accelerate  the  step. 
Moreover,  she  kept  a  good  yard  free  of  him,  and  trailed 
her  umbrella,  as  if  it  were  a  barrier,  on  the  side  between 
them.  Northmour  kept  sidling  closer;  and,  as  the  girl 
retired  from  his  advance,  their  course  lay  at  a  sort  of 
diagonal  across  the  beach,  and  would  have  landed  them 
in  the  surf  had  it  been  long  enough  continued.  But, 
when  it  was  imminent,  the  girl  would  unostentatiously 
change  sides  and  put  Northmour  between  her  and  the 
sea.  I  watched  these  manoeuvres,  for  my  part,  with 
high  enjoyment  and  approval,  and  chuckled  to  myself 
at  every  move. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day,  she  walked  alone 
for  some  time,  and  I  perceived,  to  my  great  concern, 
that  she  was  more  than  once  in  tears.     You  will  see 

225 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

that  my  heart  was  already  interested  more  than  I  sup- 
posed. She  had  a  firm  yet  airy  motion  of  the  body,  and 
carried  her  head  with  unimaginable  grace;  every  step 
was  a  thing  to  look  at,  and  she  seemed  in  my  eyes  to 
breathe  sweetness  and  distinction. 

The  day  was  so  agreeable,  being  calm  and  sunshiny, 
with  a  tranquil  sea,  and  yet  with  a  healthful  piquancy 
and  vigour  in  the  air,  that,  contrary  to  custom,  she  was 
tempted  forth  a  second  time  to  walk.  On  this  occasion 
she  was  accompanied  by  Northmour,  and  they  had  been 
but  a  short  while  on  the  beach,  when  I  saw  him  take 
forcible  possession  of  her  hand.  She  struggled,  and  ut- 
tered a  cry  that  was  almost  a  scream.  I  sprang  to  my 
feet,  unmindful  of  my  strange  position ;  but,  ere  I  had 
taken  a  step,  I  saw  Northmour  bare-headed  and  bowing 
very  low,  as  if  to  apologise ;  and  dropped  again  at  once 
into  my  ambush.  A  few  words  were  interchanged ;  and 
then,  with  another  bow,  he  left  the  beach  to  return  to 
the  pavilion.  He  passed  not  far  from  me,  and  I  could 
see  him,  flushed  and  lowering,  and  cutting  savagely 
with  his  cane  among  the  grass.  It  was  not  without 
satisfaction  that  I  recognised  my  own  handiwork  in  a 
great  cut  under  his  right  eye,  and  a  considerable  discol- 
oration round  the  socket. 

For  some  time  the  girl  remained  where  he  had  left 
her,  looking  out  past  the  islet  and  over  the  bright  sea. 
Then  with  a  start,  as  one  who  throws  off  preoccupation 
and  puts  energy  again  upon  its  mettle,  she  broke  into  a 
rapid  and  decisive  walk.  She  also  was  much  incensed 
by  what  had  passed.  She  had  forgotten  where  she  was. 
And  I  beheld  her  walk  straight  into  the  borders  of  the 
quicksand  where  it  is  most  abrupt  and  dangerous.    Two 

226 


THE  PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

or  three  steps  farther  and  her  life  would  have  been  in 
serious  jeopardy,  when  I  slid  down  the  face  of  the  sand- 
hill, which  is  there  precipitous,  and,  running  half-way 
forward,  called  to  her  to  stop. 

She  did  so,  and  turned  round.  There  was  not  a 
tremor  of  fear  in  her  behaviour,  and  she  marched  di- 
rectly up  to  me  like  a  queen.  I  was  barefoot,  and  clad 
like  a  common  sailor,  save  for  an  Egyptian  scarf  round 
my  waist ;  and  she  probably  took  me  at  first  for  some 
one  from  the  fisher  village,  straying  after  bait.  As  for 
her,  when  I  thus  saw  her  face  to  face,  her  eyes  set 
steadily  and  imperiously  upon  mine,  I  was  filled  with 
admiration  and  astonishment,  and  thought  her  even 
more  beautiful  than  I  had  looked  to  find  her.  Nor  could 
I  think  enough  of  one  who,  acting  with  so  much  bold- 
ness, yet  preserved  a  maidenly  air  that  was  both  quaint 
and  engaging;  for  my  wife  kept  an  old-fashioned  preci- 
sion of  manner  through  all  her  admirable  life  —  an  excel- 
lent thing  in  woman,  since  it  sets  another  value  on  her 
sweet  familiarities. 

"  What  does  this  mean  ?"  she  asked. 

"  You  were  walking,"  I  told  her,  "  directly  into  Gra- 
den  Floe." 

"You  do  not  belong  to  these  parts,"  she  said  again. 
"You  speak  like  an  educated  man." 

"I  believe  I  have  a  right  to  that  name,"  said  I, 
"although  in  this  disguise." 

But  her  woman's  eye  had  already  detected  the  sash. 

"Oh!  "  she  said;  "your  sash  betrays  you." 

"  You  have  said  the  word  betray/'  I  resumed.  "  May 
I  ask  you  not  to  betray  me  ?  I  was  obliged  to  disclose 
myself  in   your  interest;   but   if  Northmour  learned 

327 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

my  presence  it  might  be  worse  than  disagreeable  for 
me." 

"Do  you  know,"  she  asked,  "to  whom  you  are 
speaking  ?  " 

"Not  to  Mr.  Northmour's  wife  ?  "  I  asked,  by  way  of 
answer. 

She  shook  her  head.  AH  this  while  she  was  studying 
my  face  with  an  embarrassing  intentness.  Then  she 
broke  out — 

"  You  have  an  honest  face.  Be  honest  like  your  face, 
sir,  and  tell  me  what  you  want  and  what  you  are  afraid 
of.  Do  you  think  I  could  hurt  you  ?  I  believe  you  have 
far  more  power  to  injure  me !  And  yet  you  do  not  look 
unkind.  What  do  you  mean  —  you,  a  gentleman — by 
skulking  like  a  spy  about  this  desolate  place  ?  Tell  me," 
she  said,  "  who  is  it  you  hate  ?  " 

"I  hate  no  one,"  I  answered;  "  and  I  fear  no  one  face 
to  face.  My  name  is  Cassilis  —  Frank  Cassilis.  I  lead 
the  life  of  a  vagabond  for  my  own  good  pleasure.  I  am 
one  of  Northmour's  oldest  friends ;  and  three  nights  ago, 
when  I  addressed  him  on  these  links,  he  stabbed  me  in 
the  shoulder  with  a  knife." 

"It  was  you!  "  she  said. 

"Why  he  did  so,"  I  continued,  disregarding  the  in- 
terruption, "is  more  than  I  can  guess,  and  more  than  I 
care  to  know.  I  have  not  many  friends,  nor  am  I  very 
susceptible  to  friendship ;  but  no  man  shall  drive  me  from 
a  place  by  terror.  I  had  camped  in  Graden  Sea- Wood  ere 
he  came;  I  camp  in  it  still.  If  you  think  I  mean  harm  to 
you  or  yours,  madam,  the  remedy  is  in  your  hand.  Tell 
him  that  my  camp  is  in  the  Hemlock  Den,  and  to-night 
he  can  stab  me  in  safety  while  I  sleep." 

228 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

With  this  I  doffed  my  cap  to  her,  and  scrambled  up 
once  more  among  the  sand-hills.  I  do  not  know  why, 
but  I  felt  a  prodigious  sense  of  injustice,  and  felt  like  a 
hero  and  a  martyr ;  while,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  I  had  not 
a  word  to  say  in  my  defence,  nor  so  much  as  one  plau- 
sible reason  to  offer  for  my  conduct.  I  had  stayed  at 
Graden  out  of  a  curiosity  natural  enough,  but  undig- 
nified; and  though  there  was  another  motive  grow- 
ing in  along  with  the  first,  it  was  not  one  which,  at  that 
period,  I  could  have  properly  explained  to  the  lady  of 
my  heart. 

Certainly,  that  night,  I  thought  of  no  one  else ;  and, 
though  her  whole  conduct  and  position  seemed  suspi- 
cious, I  could  not  find  it  in  my  heart  to  entertain  a  doubt 
of  her  integrity.  I  could  have  staked  my  life  that  she 
was  clear  of  blame,  and,  though  all  was  dark  at  the  pres- 
ent, that  the  explanation  of  the  mystery  would  show 
her  part  in  these  events  to  be  both  right  and  needful.  It 
was  true,  let  me  cudgel  my  imagination  as  I  pleased, 
that  I  could  invent  no  theory  of  her  relations  to  North- 
mour;  but  I  felt  none  the  less  sure  of  my  conclusion  be- 
cause it  was  founded  on  instinct  in  place  of  reason,  and, 
as  I  may  say,  went  to  sleep  that  night  with  the  thought 
of  her  under  my  pillow. 

Next  day  she  came  out  about  the  same  hour  alone, 
and,  as  soon  as  the  sand-hills  concealed  her  from  the 
pavilion,  drew  nearer  to  the  edge,  and  called  me  by 
name  in  guarded  tones.  I  was  astonished  to  observe 
that  she  was  deadly  pale,  and  seemingly  under  the  in- 
fluence of  strong  emotion. 

"  Mr.  Cassilis!  "  she  cried;  "  Mr.  Cassilis! " 

I  appeared  at  once,  and  leaped  down  upon  the  beach. 
229 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

A  remarkable  air  of  relief  overspread  her  countenance  as 
soon  as  she  saw  me. 

"  Oh ! "  she  cried,  with  a  hoarse  sound,  like  one  whose 
bosom  has  been  lightened  of  weight.  And  then,  "Thank 
God,  you  are  still  safe!"  she  added;  "I  knew,  if  you 
were,  you  would  be  here."  (Was  not  this  strange  ?  So 
swiftly  and  wisely  does  Nature  prepare  our  hearts  for 
these  great  life-long  intimacies,  that  both  my  wife  and  I 
had  been  given  a  presentiment  on  this  the  second  day 
of  our  acquaintance.  I  had  even  then  hoped  that  she 
would  seek  me;  she  had  felt  sure  that  she  would  find 
me.)  "  Do  not,"  she  went  on  swiftly,  "do  not  stay  in 
this  place.  Promise  me  that  you  will  sleep  no  longer 
in  that  wood.  You  do  not  know  how  I  suffer;  all  last 
night  I  could  not  sleep  for  thinking  of  your  peril." 

"Peril?"  I  repeated.  "Peril  from  whom?  From 
Northmour  ?  " 

"Not  so,"  she  said.  "Did  you  think  I  would  tell 
him  after  what  you  said  ?  " 

"Not from  Northmour ? "  I  repeated.  "Then  how ? 
From  whom  ?    I  see  none  to  be  afraid  of." 

"You  must  not  ask  me,"  was  her  reply,  "for  I  am 
not  free  to  tell  you.  Only  believe  me,  and  go  hence — be- 
lieve me,  and  go  away  quickly,  quickly,  for  your  life !  " 

An  appeal  to  his  alarm  is  never  a  good  plan  to  rid 
oneself  of  a  spirited  young  man.  My  obstinacy  was  but 
increased  by  what  she  said,  and  I  made  it  a  point  of 
honour  to  remain.  And  her  solicitude  for  my  safety  still 
more  confirmed  me  in  the  resolve. 

"You  must  not  think  me  inquisitive,  madam,"  I  re- 
plied; "but,  if  Graden  is  so  dangerous  a  place,  you 
yourself  perhaps  remain  here  at  some  risk." 

330 


THE  PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

She  only  looked  at  me  reproachfully. 

1 '  You  and  your  father , "  I  resumed ;  but  she  in- 
terrupted me  almost  with  a  gasp. 

"  My  father!    How  do  you  know  that  ?"  she  cried. 

M  I  saw  you  together  when  you  landed,"  was  my  an- 
swer; and  I  do  not  know  why,  but  it  seemed  satisfac- 
tory to  both  of  us,  as  indeed  it  was  the  truth.  "  But," 
I  continued,  "you  need  have  no  fear  from  me.  I  see 
you  have  some  reason  to  be  secret,  and,  you  may  believe 
me,  your  secret  is  as  safe  with  me  as  if  I  were  in  Graden 
Floe.  I  have  scarce  spoken  to  anyone  for  years;  my 
horse  is  my  only  companion,  and  even  he,  poor  beast, 
is  not  beside  me.  You  see,  then,  you  may  count  on 
me  for  silence.  So  tell  me  the  truth,  my  dear  young 
lady,  are  you  not  in  danger  ?  " 

"Mr.  Northmour  says  you  are  an  honourable  man," 
she  returned,  "and  I  believe  it  when  I  see  you.  I  will 
tell  you  so  much;  you  are  right;  we  are  in  dreadful, 
dreadful  danger,  and  you  share  it  by  remaining  where 
you  are." 

"Ah!"  said  I;  "you  have  heard  of  me  from  North- 
mour ?    And  he  gives  me  a  good  character  ?  " 

"  I  asked  him  about  you  last  night,"  was  her  reply. 
"  I  pretended,"  she  hesitated,  "  I  pretended  to  have  met 
you  long  ago,  and  spoken  to  you  of  him.  It  was  not 
true ;  but  I  could  not  help  myself  without  betraying  you, 
and  you  had  put  me  in  a  difficulty.  He  praised  you 
highly." 

"  And — you  may  permit  me  one  question  —  does  this 
danger  come  from  Northmour  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  From  Mr.  Northmour?"  she  cried.  "Oh,  no;  he 
stays  with  us  to  share  it." 

231 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

"  While  you  propose  that  I  should  run  away  ?  "  I  said. 
"You  do  not  rate  me  very  high." 

"Why  should  you  stay  ?  "  she  asked.  "You  are  no 
friend  of  ours." 

I  know  not  what  came  over  me,  for  I  had  not  been 
conscious  of  a  similar  weakness  since  I  was  a  child,  but  I 
was  so  mortified  by  this  retort  that  my  eyes  pricked  and 
filled  with  tears,  as  I  continued  to  gaze  upon  her  face. 

"No,  no,"  she  said,  in  a  changed  voice;  "I  did  not 
mean  the  words  unkindly." 

"It  was  I  who  offended,"  I  said;  and  I  held  out  my 
hand  with  a  look  of  appeal  that  somehow  touched  her, 
for  she  gave  me  hers  at  once,  and  even  eagerly.  I  held 
it  for  awhile  in  mine,  and  gazed  into  her  eyes.  It  was 
she  who  first  tore  her  hand  away,  and,  forgetting  all 
about  her  request  and  the  promise  she  had  sought  to 
extort,  ran  at  the  top  of  her  speed,  and  without  turning, 
till  she  was  out  of  sight.  And  then  I  knew  that  I  loved 
her,  and  thought  in  my  glad  heart  that  she  —  she  her- 
self—  was  not  indifferent  to  my  suit.  Many  a  time  she 
has  denied  it  in  after  days,  but  it  was  with  a  smiling 
and  not  a  serious  denial.  For  my  part,  I  am  sure  our 
hands  would  not  have  lain  so  closely  in  each  other  if 
she  had  not  begun  to  melt  to  me  already.  And,  when 
all  is  said,  it  is  no  great  contention,  since,  by  her  own 
avowal,  she  began  to  love  me  on  the  morrow. 

And  yet  on  the  morrow  very  little  took  place.  She 
came  and  called  me  down  as  on  the  day  before,  up- 
braided me  for  lingering  at  Graden,  and,  when  she  found 
I  was  still  obdurate,  began  to  ask  me  more  particularly 
as  to  my  arrival.  I  told  her  by  what  series  of  accidents 
I  had  come  to  witness  their  disembarkation,  and  how  I 

232 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

had  determined  to  remain,  partly  from  the  interest  which 
had  been  wakened  in  me  by  Northmour's  guests,  and 
partly  because  of  his  own  murderous  attack.  As  to  the 
former,  I  fear  I  was  disingenuous,  and  led  her  to  regard 
herself  as  having  been  an  attraction  to  me  from  the  first 
moment  that  I  saw  her  on  the  links.  It  relieves  my 
heart  to  make  this  confession  even  now,  when  my  wife 
is  with  God,  and  already  knows  all  things,  and  the  hon- 
esty of  my  purpose  even  in  this;  for  while  she  lived, 
although  it  often  pricked  my  conscience,  I  had  never  the 
hardihood  to  undeceive  her.  Even  a  little  secret,  in 
such  a  married  life  as  ours,  is  like  the  rose-leaf  which 
kept  the  Princess  from  her  sleep. 

From  this  the  talk  branched  into  other  subjects,  and  I 
told  her  much  about  my  lonely  and  wandering  exist- 
ence; she,  for  her  part,  giving  ear,  and  saying  little.  Al- 
though we  spoke  very  naturally,  and  latterly  on  topics 
that  might  seem  indifferent,  we  were  both  sweetly  agi- 
tated. Too  soon  it  was  time  for  her  to  go ;  and  we  sep- 
arated, as  if  by  mutual  consent,  without  shaking  hands, 
for  both  knew  that,  between  us,  it  was  no  idle  ceremony. 

The  next,  and  that  was  the  fourth  day  of  our  acquain- 
tance, we  met  in  the  same  spot,  but  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, with  much  familiarity  and  yet  much  timidity  on 
either  side.  When  she  had  once  more  spoken  about 
my  danger  —  and  that,  I  understood,  was  her  excuse  for 
coming —  I,  who  had  prepared  a  great  deal  of  talk  dur- 
ing the  night,  began  to  tell  her  how  highly  I  valued  her 
kind  interest,  and  how  no  one  had  ever  cared  to  hear 
about  my  life,  nor  had  I  ever  cared  to  relate  it,  before 
yesterday.  Suddenly  she  interrupted  me,  saying  with 
vehemence  — 

*3* 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

"  And  yet,  if  you  knew  who  I  was,  you  would  not  so 
much  as  speak  to  me!  " 

I  told  her  such  a  thought  was  madness,  and,  little  as 
we  had  met,  I  counted  her  already  a  dear  friend;  but 
my  protestations  seemed  only  to  make  her  more  des- 
perate. 

"  My  father  is  in  hiding!  "  she  cried. 

"  My  dear,"  I  said,  forgetting  for  the  first  time  to  add 
"young  lady,"  "  what  do  I  care  ?  If  he  were  in  hiding 
twenty  times  over,  would  it  make  one  thought  of  change 
in  you?" 

"Ah,  but  the  cause!"  she  cried,  "the  cause!  It 
is — "  she  faltered  for  a  second —  "it  is  disgraceful 
to  us!" 


*34 


CHAPTER  IV 

TELLS    IN    WHAT  A  STARTLING    MANNER    I    LEARNED    THAT   I 
WAS    NOT  ALONE   IN   GRADEN   SEA-WOOD 

This  was  my  wife's  story,  as  I  drew  it  from  her  among 
tears  and  sobs.  Her  name  was  Clara  Huddlestone:  it 
sounded  very  beautiful  in  my  ears ;  but  not  so  beautiful 
as  that  other  name  of  Clara  Cassilis,  which  she  wore 
during  the  longer  and,  I  thank  God,  the  happier  portion 
of  her  life.  Her  father,  Bernard  Huddlestone,  had  been 
a  private  banker  in  a  very  large  way  of  business.  Many 
years  before,  his  affairs  becoming  disordered,  he  had 
been  led  to  try  dangerous,  and  at  last  criminal,  expe- 
dients to  retrieve  himself  from  ruin.  All  was  in  vain ; 
he  became  more  and  more  cruelly  involved,  and  found 
his  honour  lost  at  the  same  moment  with  his  fortune. 
About  this  period,  Northmour  had  been  courting  his 
daughter  with  great  assiduity,  though  with  small  en- 
couragement; and  to  him,  knowing  him  thus  disposed 
in  his  favour,  Bernard  Huddlestone  turned  for  help  in  his 
extremity.  It  was  not  merely  ruin  and  dishonour,  nor 
merely  a  legal  condemnation,  that  the  unhappy  man 
had  brought  on  his  head.  It  seems  he  could  have  gone 
to  prison  with  a  light  heart.  What  he  feared,  what 
kept  him  awake  at  night  or  recalled  him  from  slumber 
into  frenzy,  was  some  secret,  sudden,  and  unlawful  at- 
tempt upon  his  life.     Hence,  he  desired  to  bury  his  ex- 

335 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

istence  and  escape  to  one  of  the  islands  in  the  South 
Pacific,  and  it  was  in  Northmour's  yacht,  the  Red  Earl, 
that  he  designed  to  go.  The  yacht  picked  them  up 
clandestinely  upon  the  coast  of  Wales,  and  had  once 
more  deposited  them  at  Graden,  till  she  could  be  refit- 
ted and  provisioned  for  the  longer  voyage.  Nor  could 
Clara  doubt  that  her  hand  had  been  stipulated  as  the 
price  of  passage.  For,  although  Northmour  was  neither 
unkind  or  discourteous,  he  had  shown  himself  in  several 
instances  somewhat  overbold  in  speech  and  manner. 

I  listened,  I  need  not  say,  with  fixed  attention,  and 
put  many  questions  as  to  the  more  mysterious  part.  It 
was  in  vain.  She  had  no  clear  idea  of  what  the  blow 
was,  nor  of  how  it  was  expected  to  fall.  Her  father's 
alarm  was  unfeigned  and  physically  prostrating,  and  he 
had  thought  more  than  once  of  making  an  unconditional 
surrender  to  the  police.  But  the  scheme  was  finally 
abandoned,  for  he  was  convinced  that  not  even  the 
strength  of  our  English  prisons  could  shelter  him  from 
his  pursuers.  He  had  had  many  affairs  with  Italy,  and 
with  Italians  resident  in  London,  in  the  later  years  of 
his  business;  and  these  last,  as  Clara  fancied,  were 
somehow  connected  with  the  doom  that  threatened  him. 
He  had  shown  great  terror  at  the  presence  of  an  Italian 
seaman  on  board  the  Red  Earl,  and  had  bitterly  and  re- 
peatedly accused  Northmour  in  consequence.  The  lat- 
ter had  protested  that  Beppo  (that  was  the  seaman's 
name)  was  a  capital  fellow  and  could  be  trusted  to  the 
death;  but  Mr.  Huddlestone  had  continued  ever  since 
to  declare  that  all  was  lost,  that  it  was  only  a  question 
of  days,  and  that  Beppo  would  be  the  ruin  of  him  yet. 

I  regarded  the  whole  story  as  the  hallucination  of  a 
236 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

mind  shaken  by  calamity.  He  had  suffered  heavy  loss 
by  his  Italian  transactions ;  and  hence  the  sight  of  an 
Italian  was  hateful  to  him,  and  the  principal  part  in  his 
nightmare  would  naturally  enough  be  played  by  one  of 
that  nation. 

"What  your  father  wants,"  I  said,  "is  a  good  doctor 
and  some  calming  medicine." 

"But  Mr.  Northmour?"  objected  your  mother. 
"  He  is  untroubled  by  losses,  and  yet  he  shares  in  this 
terror." 

I  could  not  help  laughing  at  what  I  considered  her 
simplicity. 

"  My  dear,"  said  I,  "you  have  told  me  yourself  what 
reward  he  has  to  look  for.  AH  is  fair  in  love,  you  must 
remember;  and  if  Northmour  foments  your  father's  ter- 
rors, it  is  not  at  all  because  he  is  afraid  of  any  Italian  man, 
but  simply  because  he  is  infatuated  with  a  charming 
English  woman." 

She  reminded  me  of  his  attack  upon  myself  on  the 
night  of  the  disembarkation,  and  this  I  was  unable  to 
explain.  In  short,  and  from  one  thing  to  another,  it  was 
agreed  between  us,  that  I  should  set  out  at  once  for  the 
fisher  village,  Graden  Wester,  as  it  was  called,  look  up 
all  the  newspapers  I  could  find,  and  see  for  myself  if 
there  seemed  any  basis  of  fact  for  these  continued 
alarms.  The  next  morning,  at  the  same  hour  and  place, 
I  was  to  make  my  report  to  Clara.  She  said  no  more  on 
that  occasion  about  my  departure;  nor  indeed,  did  she 
make  it  a  secret  that  she  clung  to  the  thought  of  my 
proximity  as  something  helpful  and  pleasant;  and,  for 
my  part,  I  could  not  have  left  her,  if  she  had  gone  upon 
her  knees  to  ask  it. 

237 


NEW    ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

I  reached  Graden  Wester  before  ten  in  the  forenoon ; 
for  in  those  days  I  was  an  excellent  pedestrian,  and  the  dis- 
tance, as  I  think  I  have  said,  was  little  over  seven  miles ; 
fine  walking  all  the  way  upon  the  springy  turf.  The  vil- 
lage is  one  of  the  bleakest  on  that  coast,  which  is  saying 
much :  there  is  a  church  in  a  hollow,  a  miserable  haven 
in  the  rocks,  where  many  boats  have  been  lost  as  they 
returned  from  fishing;  two  or  three  score  of  stone  houses 
arranged  along  the  beach  and  in  two  streets,  one  lead- 
ing from  the  harbour,  and  another  striking  out  from  it  at 
right  angles ;  and,  at  the  corner  of  these  two,  a  very 
dark  and  cheerless  tavern,  by  way  of  principal  hotel. 

I  had  dressed  myself  somewhat  more  suitably  to  my 
station  in  life,  and  at  once  called  upon  the  minister  in 
his  little  manse  beside  the  graveyard.  He  knew  me, 
although  it  was  more  than  nine  years  since  we  had  met ; 
and  when  I  told  him  that  I  had  been  long  upon  a  walk- 
ing tour,  and  was  behind  with  the  news,  readily  lent  me 
an  armful  of  newspapers,  dating  from  a  month  back  to 
the  day  before.  With  these  I  sought  the  tavern,  and, 
ordering  some  breakfast,  sat  down  to  study  the  "Hud- 
dlestone  Failure." 

It  had  been,  it  appeared,  a  very  flagrant  case.  Thou- 
sands of  persons  were  reduced  to  poverty ;  and  one  in 
particular  had  blown  out  his  brains  as  soon  as  payment 
was  suspended.  It  was  strange  to  myself  that,  while  I 
read  these  details,  I  continued  rather  to  sympathise  with 
Mr.  Huddlestone  than  with  his  victims;  so  complete  al- 
ready was  the  empire  of  my  love  for  my  wife.  A  price 
was  naturally  set  upon  the  banker's  head;  and,  as  the 
case  was  inexcusable  and  the  public  indignation  thor- 
oughly aroused,  the  unusual  figure  of  750/.  was  offered 

258 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

for  his  capture.  He  was  reported  to  have  large  sums  of 
money  in  his  possession.  One  day,  he  had  been  heard 
of  in  Spain ;  the  next,  there  was  sure  intelligence  that 
he  was  still  lurking  between  Manchester  and  Liverpool, 
or  along  the  border  of  Wales ;  and  the  day  after,  a  tele- 
gram would  announce  his  arrival  in  Cuba  or  Yucatan. 
But  in  all  this  there  was  no  word  of  an  Italian,  nor  any 
sign  of  mystery. 

In  the  very  last  paper,  however,  there  was  one  item 
not  so  clear.  The  accountants  who  were  charged  to 
verify  the  failure  had,  it  seemed,  come  upon  the  traces 
of  a  large  number  of  thousands,  which  figured  for  some 
time  in  the  transactions  of  the  house  of  Huddlestone; 
but  which  came  from  nowhere,  and  disappeared  in  the 
same  mysterious  fashion.  It  was  only  once  referred  to 
by  name,  and  then  under  the  initials  "X.  X.";  but  it 
had  plainly  been  floated  for  the  first  time  into  the  bus- 
iness at  a  period  of  great  depression  some  six  years  ago. 
The  name  of  a  distinguished  Royal  personage  had  been 
mentioned  by  rumour  in  connection  with  this  sum.  ' '  The 
cowardly  desperado  "  —  such,  I  remember,  was  the  edi- 
torial expression  —  was  supposed  to  have  escaped  with  a 
large  part  of  this  mysterious  fund  still  in  his  possession. 

I  was  still  brooding  over  the  fact,  and  trying  to  tor- 
ture it  into  some  connection  with  Mr.  Huddlestone's 
danger,  when  a  man  entered  the  tavern  and  asked  for 
some  bread  and  cheese  with  a  decided  foreign  accent. 

"  Siete  Italiano?"  said  I. 

"  St,  signor,"  was  his  reply. 

I  said  it  was  unusually  far  north  to  find  one  of  his 
compatriots ;  at  which  he  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and 
replied  that  a  man  would  go  anywhere  to  find  work. 

*39 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

What  work  he  could  hope  to  find  at  Graden  Wester,  I 
was  totally  unable  to  conceive;  and  the  incident  struck 
so  unpleasantly  upon  my  mind,  that  1  asked  the  land- 
lord, while  he  was  counting  me  some  change,  whether 
he  had  ever  before  seen  an  Italian  in  the  village.  He  said 
he  had  once  seen  some  Norwegians,  who  had  been  ship- 
wrecked on  the  other  side  of  Graden  Ness  and  rescued 
by  the  lifeboat  from  Cauld-haven. 

"  No!  "  said  I;  "but  an  Italian,  like  the  man  who  has 
just  had  bread  and  cheese." 

"  What  ? "  cried  he,  "yon  black-avised  fellow  wi'  the 
teeth  ?  Was  he  an  I-talian  ?  Weel,  yon's  the  first  that 
ever  I  saw,  an'  I  dare  say  he's  like  to  be  the  last." 

Even  as  he  was  speaking,  I  raised  my  eyes,  and,  cast- 
ing a  glance  into  the  street,  beheld  three  men  in  earnest 
conversation  together,  and  not  thirty  yards  away.  One 
of  them  was  my  recent  companion  in  the  tavern  parlor; 
the  other  two,  by  their  handsome,  sallow  features  and 
soft  hats,  should  evidently  belong  to  the  same  race.  A 
crowd  of  village  children  stood  around  them,  gesticu- 
lating and  talking  gibberish  in  imitation.  The  trio  looked 
singularly  foreign  to  the  bleak  dirty  street  in  which  they 
were  standing,  and  the  dark  gray  heaven  that  overspread 
them ;  and  I  confess  my  incredulity  received  at  that  mo- 
ment a  shock  from  which  it  never  recovered.  I  might 
reason  with  myself  as  I  pleased,  but  I  could  not  argue 
down  the  effect  of  what  I  had  seen,  and  I  began  to  share 
in  the  Italian  terror. 

It  was  already  drawing  towards  the  close  of  the  day 
before  I  had  returned  the  newspapers  at  the  manse,  and 
got  well  forward  on  to  the  links  on  my  way  home.  1 
shall  never  forget  that  walk.     It  grew  very  cold  and 

240 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

boisterous ;  the  wind  sang  in  the  short  grass  about  my 
feet;  thin  rain  showers  came  running  on  the  gusts;  and 
an  immense  mountain  range  of  clouds  began  to  arise  out 
of  the  bosom  of  the  sea.  It  would  be  hard  to  imagine 
a  more  dismal  evening;  and  whether  it  was  from  these 
external  influences,  or  because  my  nerves  were  already 
affected  by  what  I  had  heard  and  seen,  my  thoughts  were 
as  gloomy  as  the  weather. 

The  upper  windows  of  the  pavilion  commanded  a 
considerable  spread  of  links  in  the  direction  of  Graden 
Wester.  To  avoid  observation,  it  was  necessary  to  hug 
the  beach  until  I  had  gained  cover  from  the  higher  sand- 
hills on  the  little  headland,  when  I  might  strike  across, 
through  the  hollows,  for  the  margin  of  the  wood.  The 
sun  was  about  setting;  the  tide  was  low,  and  all  the 
quicksands  uncovered ;  and  I  was  moving  along,  lost  in 
unpleasant  thought,  when  I  was  suddenly  thunder- 
struck to  perceive  the  prints  of  human  feet.  They  ran 
parallel  to  my  own  course,  but  low  down  upon  the 
beach  instead  of  along  the  border  of  the  turf;  and,  when 
I  examined  them,  I  saw  at  once,  by  the  size  and  coarse- 
ness of  the  impression,  that  it  was  a  stranger  to  me  and 
to  those  in  the  pavilion  who  had  recently  passed  that 
way.  Not  only  so ;  but  from  the  recklessness  of  the 
course  which  he  had  followed,  steering  near  to  the  most 
formidable  portions  of  the  sand,  he  was  as  evidently  a 
stranger  to  the  country  and  to  the  ill-repute  of  Graden 
beach. 

Step  by  step  I  followed  the  prints ;  until,  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  further,  I  beheld  them  die  away  into  the  south- 
eastern boundary  of  Graden  Floe.  There,  whoever  he 
was,  the  miserable  man  had  perished.     One  or  two 

241 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

gulls,  who  had,  perhaps,  seen  him  disappear,  wheeled 
over  his  sepulchre  with  their  usual  melancholy  piping. 
The  sun  had  broken  through  the  clouds  by  a  last  effort, 
and  coloured  the  wide  level  of  quicksands  with  a  dusky 
purple.  I  stood  for  some  time  gazing  at  the  spot,  chilled 
and  disheartened  by  my  own  reflections,  and  with  a 
strong  and  commanding  consciousness  of  death.  I  re- 
member wondering  how  long  the  tragedy  had  taken, 
and  whether  his  screams  had  been  audible  at  the  pavil- 
ion. And  then,  making  a  strong  resolution,  I  was  about 
to  tear  myself  away,  when  a  gust  fiercer  than  usual  fell 
upon  this  quarter  of  the  beach,  and  I  saw  now,  whirling 
high  in  air,  now  skimming  lightly  across  the  surface  of 
the  sands,  a  soft,  black,  felt  hat,  somewhat  conical  in 
shape,  such  as  I  had  remarked  already  on  the  heads  of 
the  Italians. 

I  believe,  but  I  am  not  sure,  that  I  uttered  a  cry.  The 
wind  was  driving  the  hat  shoreward,  and  I  ran  round 
the  border  of  the  floe  to  be  ready  against  its  arrival.  The 
gust  fell,  dropping  the  hat  for  a  while  upon  the  quicksand, 
and  then,  once  more  freshening,  landed  it  a  few  yards 
from  where  I  stood.  I  seized  it  with  the  interest  you 
may  imagine.  It  had  seen  some  service;  indeed,  it  was 
rustier  than  either  of  those  I  had  seen  that  day  upon  the 
street.  The  lining  was  red,  stamped  with  the  name  of 
the  maker,  which  I  have  forgotten,  and  that  of  the  place 
of  manufacture,  Venedig.  This  (it  is  not  yet  forgotten) 
was  the  name  given  by  the  Austrians  to  the  beautiful 
city  of  Venice,  then,  and  for  long  after,  a  part  of  their 
dominions. 

The  shock  was  complete.  I  saw  imaginary  Italians 
upon  every  side;  and  for  the  first,  and,  I  may  say,  for 

242 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE  LINKS 

the  last  time  in  my  experience,  became  overpowered  by 
what  is  called  panic  terror.  I  knew  nothing,  that  is,  to 
be  afraid  of,  and  yet  I  admit  that  I  was  heartily  afraid; 
and  it  was  with  a  sensible  reluctance  that  I  returned  to 
my  exposed  and  solitary  camp  in  the  Sea- Wood. 

There  I  ate  some  cold  porridge  which  had  been  left 
over  from  the  night  before,  for  I  was  disinclined  to  make 
a  fire;  and,  feeling  strengthened  and  reassured,  dis- 
missed all  these  fanciful  terrors  from  my  mind,  and  lay 
down  to  sleep  with  composure. 

How  long  I  may  have  slept  it  is  impossible  for  me  to 
guess ;  but  I  was  awakened  at  last  by  a  sudden,  blind- 
ing flash  of  light  into  my  face.  It  woke  me  like  a  blow. 
In  an  instant  I  was  upon  my  knees.  But  the  light  had 
gone  as  suddenly  as  it  came.  The  darkness  was  intense. 
And,  as  it  was  blowing  great  guns  from  the  sea  and 
pouring  with  rain,  the  noises  of  the  storm  effectually 
concealed  all  others. 

It  was,  I  dare  say,  half  a  minute  before  I  regained  my 
self-possession.  But  fortwo  circumstances,  I  should  have 
thought  I  had  been  awakened  by  some  new  and  vivid 
form  of  nightmare.  First,  the  flap  of  my  tent,  which  I 
had  shut  carefully  when  I  retired,  was  now  unfastened ; 
and,  second,  I  could  still  perceive,  with  a  sharpness  that 
excluded  any  theory  of  hallucination,  the  smell  of  hot 
metal  and  of  burning  oil.  The  conclusion  was  obvious. 
I  had  been  awakened  by  some  one  flashing  a  bull's-eye 
lantern  in  my  face.  It  had  been  but  a  flash,  and  away. 
He  had  seen  my  face,  and  then  gone.  I  asked  myself 
the  object  of  so  strange  a  proceeding,  and  the  answer 
came  pat.  The  man,  whoever  he  was,  had  thought  to 
recognise  me,  and  he  had  not.     There  was  yet  another 

243 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

question  unsolved ;  and  to  this,  i  may  say,  I  feared  to 
give  an  answer;  if  he  had  recognised  me,  what  would 
he  have  done  ? 

My  fears  were  immediately  diverted  from  myself,  for 
I  saw  that  I  had  been  visited  in  a  mistake ;  and  I  became 
persuaded  that  some  dreadful  danger  threatened  the 
pavilion.  It  required  some  nerve  to  issue  forth  into  the 
black  and  intricate  thicket  which  surrounded  and  over- 
hung the  den;  but  I  groped  my  way  to  the  links, 
drenched  with  rain,  beaten  upon  and  deafened  by  the 
gusts,  and  fearing  at  every  step  to  lay  my  hand  upon 
some  lurking  adversary.  The  darkness  was  so  com- 
plete that  I  might  have  been  surrounded  by  an  army 
and  yet  none  the  wiser,  and  the  uproar  of  the  gale  so 
loud  that  my  hearing  was  as  useless  as  my  sight. 

For  the  rest  of  the  night,  which  seemed  interminably 
long,  I  patrolled  the  vicinity  of  the  pavilion,  without  see- 
ing a  living  creature  or  hearing  any  noise  but  the  con- 
cert of  the  wind,  the  sea,  and  the  rain.  A  light  in  the 
upper  story  filtered  through  a  cranny  in  the  shutter,  and 
kept  me  company  till  the  approach  of  dawn. 


244 


CHAPTER  V 

TELLS      OF      AN      INTERVIEW      BETWEEN      NORTHMOUR, 
CLARA,      AND      MYSELF 

With  the  first  peep  of  day,  I  retired  from  the  open  to 
my  old  lair  among  the  sand-hills,  there  to  await  the  com- 
ing of  my  wife.  The  morning  was  gray,  wild,  and 
melancholy;  the  wind  moderated  before  sunrise,  and 
then  went  about,  and  blew  in  puffs  from  the  shore;  the 
sea  began  to  go  down,  but  the  rain  still  fell  without 
mercy.  Over  all  the  wilderness  of  links  there  was  not 
a  creature  to  be  seen.  Yet  I  felt  sure  the  neighbourhood 
was  alive  with  skulking  foes.  The  light  had  been  so 
suddenly  and  surprisingly  flashed  upon  my  face  as  I 
lay  sleeping,  and  the  hat  that  had  been  blown  ashore  by 
the  wind  from  over  Graden  Floe,  were  two  speaking 
signals  of  the  peril  that  environed  Clara  and  the  party  in 
the  pavilion. 

It  was,  perhaps,  half-past  seven,  or  nearer  eight,  be- 
fore I  saw  the  door  open,  and  that  dear  figure  come 
towards  me  in  the  rain.  I  was  waiting  for  her  on  the 
beach  before  she  had  crossed  the  sand-hills. 

"I  have  had  such  trouble  to  come!"  she  cried. 
"  They  did  not  wish  me  to  go  walking  in  the  rain." 

"Clara,"  I  said,  "you  are  not  frightened  ! " 

"No,"  said  she,  with  a  simplicity  that  filled  my  heart 
with  confidence.     For  my  wife  was  the  bravest  as  well 

245 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

as  the  best  of  women ;  in  my  experience  I  have  not 
found  the  two  go  always  together,  but  with  her  they 
did ;  and  she  combined  the  extreme  of  fortitude  with  the 
most  endearing  and  beautiful  virtues. 

I  told  her  what  had  happened;  and,  though  her  cheek 
grew  visibly  paler,  she  retained  perfect  control  over  her 
senses. 

"You  see  now  that  I  am  safe,"  said  I  in  conckision. 
"They  do  not  mean  to  harm  me;  for,  had  they  chosen, 
I  was  a  dead  man  last  night." 

She  laid  her  hand  upon  my  arm. 

"  And  I  had  no  presentiment !  "  she  cried. 

Her  accent  thrilled  me  with  delight.  I  put  my  arm 
about  her,  and  strained  her  to  my  side;  and,  before 
either  of  us  was  aware,  her  hands  were  on  my  shoul- 
ders and  my  lips  upon  her  mouth.  Yet  up  to  that  mo- 
ment no  word  of  love  had  passed  between  us.  To  this 
time  I  remember  the  touch  of  her  cheek,  which  was 
wet  and  cold  with  the  rain;  and  many  a  time  since, 
when  she  has  been  washing  her  face,  I  have  kissed  it 
again  for  the  sake  of  that  morning  on  the  beach.  Now 
that  she  is  taken  from  me,  and  I  finish  my  pilgrimage 
alone,  I  recall  our  old  loving  kindness  and  the  deep 
honesty  and  affection  which  united  us,  and  my  present 
loss  seems  but  a  trifle  in  comparison. 

We  may  have  thus  stood  for  some  seconds  —  for  time 
passes  quickly  with  lovers  —  before  we  were  startled  by 
a  peal  of  laughter  close  at  hand.  It  was  not  natural 
mirth,  but  seemed  to  be  affected  in  order  to  conceal  an 
angrier  feeling.  We  both  turned,  though  I  still  kept  my 
left  arm  about  Clara's  waist;  nor  did  she  seek  to  with- 
draw herself;  and  there,  a  few  paces  off  upon  the  beach, 

246 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

stood  Northmour,  his  head  lowered,  his  hands  behind 
his  back,  his  nostrils  white  with  passion. 

"  Ah  !  Cassilis  ! "  he  said,  as  I  disclosed  my  face. 

14  That  same,"  said  I ;  for  1  was  not  at  all  put  about. 

"And  so,  Miss  Huddlestone,"  he  continued  slowly 
but  savagely,  "this  is  how  you  keep  your  faith  to  your 
father  and  to  me  ?  This  is  the  value  you  set  upon  your 
father's  life  ?  And  you  are  so  infatuated  with  this  young 
gentleman  that  you  must  brave  ruin,  and  decency,  and 
common  human  caution *' 

1 '  Miss  Huddlestone  — "  I  was  beginning  to  interrupt 
him,  when  he,  in  his  turn,  cut  in  brutally 

"You  hold  your  tongue,"  said  he;  "lam  speaking 
to  that  girl." 

"That  girl,  as  you  call  her,  is  my  wife,"  said  I:  and 
my  wife  only  leaned  a  little  nearer,  so  that  I  knew  she 
had  affirmed  my  words. 

1 '  Your  what  ?  "  he  cried.     ■ '  You  lie ! " 

"Northmour,"  I  said,  "we  all  know  you  have  a  bad 
temper,  and  I  am  the  last  man  to  be  irritated  by  words. 
For  all  that,  I  propose  that  you  speak  lower,  for  I  am 
convinced  that  we  are  not  alone." 

He  looked  round  him,  and  it  was  plain  my  remark  had 
in  some  degree  sobered  his  passion.  "What  do  you 
mean !  "  he  asked. 

I  only  said  one  word :  "Italians." 

He  swore  a  round  oath,  and  looked  at  us,  from  one 
to  the  other. 

"Mr.  Cassilis  knows  all  that  I  know,"  said  my  wife. 

"What  I  want  to  know,"  he  broke  out,  "is  where 
the  devil  Mr.  Cassilis  comes  from,  and  what  the  devil 
Mr.  Cassilis  is  doing  here.     You  say  you  are  married: 

247 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

that  I  do  not  believe.  If  you  were,  Graden  Floe  would 
soon  divorce  you;  four  minutes  and  a  half,  Cassilis;  1 
keep  my  private  cemetery  for  my  friends." 

"  It  took  somewhat  longer,"  said  I,  "for  that  Italian." 

He  looked  at  me  for  a  moment  half  daunted,  and  then, 
almost  civilly,  asked  me  to  tell  my  story.  "  You  have 
too  much  the  advantage  of  me,  Cassilis,"  he  added.  I 
complied,  of  course;  and  he  listened,  with  several  ejac- 
ulations, while  I  told  him  how  I  had  come  to  Graden ; 
that  it  was  I  whom  he  had  tried  to  murder  on  the  night 
of  landing ;  and  what  I  had  subsequently  seen  and  heard 
of  the  Italians. 

"Well,"  said  he,  when  I  had  done,  "  it  is  here  at  last; 
there  is  no  mistake  about  that.  And  what,  may  I  ask, 
do  you  propose  to  do  ?" 

"I  propose  to  stay  with  you  and  lend  a  hand,"  said  I. 

"You  are  a  brave  man,"  he  returned,  with  a  peculiar 
intonation. 

"  I  am  not  afraid,"  said  I. 

"And  so,"  he  continued,  "  I  am  to  understand  that  you 
two  are  married  ?  And  you  stand  up  to  it  before  my 
face,  Miss  Huddlestone  ?  " 

"  We  are  not  yet  married,"  said  Clara;  "  but  we  shall 
be  as  soon  as  we  can." 

"Bravo!"  cried  Northmour.  "And  the  bargain? 
D — n  it,  you're  not  a  fool,  young  woman ;  I  may  call  a 
spade  a  spade  with  you.  How  about  the  bargain  ?  You 
know  as  well  as  I  do  what  your  father's  life  depends  upon. 
I  have  only  to  put  my  hands  under  my  coat-tails  and  walk 
away,  and  his  throat  would  be  cut  before  the  evening." 

"Yes,  Mr.  Northmour,"  returned  Clara,  with  great 
spirit;  "  but  that  is  what  you  will  never  do.    You  made 

248 


THE    PAVILION   ON    THE    LINKS 

a  bargain  that  was  unworthy  of  a  gentleman ;  but  you 
are  a  gentleman  for  all  that,  and  you  will  never  desert  a 
man  whom  you  have  begun  to  help." 

"Aha!"  said  he.  "You  think  I  will  give  my  yacht 
for  nothing  ?  You  think  I  will  risk  my  life  and  liberty 
for  love  of  the  old  gentleman;  and  then,  I  suppose,  be  best 
man  at  the  wedding,  to  wind  up?  Well,"  he  added, 
with  an  odd  smile,  "perhaps  you  are  not  altogether 
wrong.  But  ask  Cassilis  here.  He  knows  me.  Am  I  a 
man  to  trust  ?  Am  I  safe  and  scrupulous  ?  Am  I  kind  ?  " 

"I  know  you  talk  a  great  deal,  and  sometimes,  I 
think,  very  foolishly, "  replied  Clara,  ' '  but  I  know  you  are 
a  gentleman,  and  I  am  not  in  the  least  afraid." 

He  looked  at  her  with  a  peculiar  approval  and  admi- 
ration; then,  turning  to  me,  "Do  you  think  I  would 
give  her  up  without  a  struggle,  Frank?"  said  he.  "I 
tell  you  plainly,  you  look  out.  The  next  time  we  come 
to  blows " 

"Will  make  the  third,"  I  interrupted,  smiling. 

"Aye,  true;  so  it  will,"  he  said.  "I  had  forgotten. 
Well,  the  third  time's  lucky." 

"The  third  time,  you  mean,  you  will  have  the  crew 
of  the  Red  Earl  to  help,"  I  said. 

"Do  you  hear  him?"  he  asked,  turning  to  my  wife. 

"I  hear  two  men  speaking  like  cowards,"  said  she. 
"  I  should  despise  myself  either  to  think  or  speak  like 
that.  And  neither  of  you  believes  one  word  that  you 
are  saying,  which  makes  it  the  more  wicked  and  silly." 

"  She's  a  trump!  "  cried  Northmour.  "  But  she's  not 
yet  Mrs.  Cassilis.  I  say  no  more.  The  present  is  not 
for  me." 

Then  my  wife  surprised  me. 
249 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

"  I  leave  you  here,"  she  said  suddenly.  u  My  father 
has  been  too  long  alone.  But  remember  this :  you  are 
to  be  friends,  for  you  are  both  good  friends  to  me." 

She  has  since  told  me  her  reason  for  this  step.  As 
long  as  she  remained,  she  declares  that  we  two  would 
have  continued  to  quarrel ;  and  I  suppose  that  she  was 
right,  for  when  she  was  gone  we  fell  at  once  into  a  sort 
of  confidentiality. 

Northmour  stared  after  her  as  she  went  away  over 
the  sand-hill. 

"  She  is  the  only  woman  in  the  world !  "  he  exclaimed 
with  an  oath.     "  Look  at  her  action." 

I,  for  my  part,  leaped  at  this  opportunity  for  a  little 
further  light. 

"  See  here,  Northmour,"  said  I ;  "  we  are  all  in  a  tight 
place,  are  we  not  ?  " 

"I  believe  you,  my  boy,"  he  answered,  looking  me 
in  the  eyes,  and  with  great  emphasis.  "We  have  all 
hell  upon  us,  that's  the  truth.  You  may  believe  me  or 
not,  but  I'm  afraid  of  my  life." 

" Tell  me  one  thing,"  said  I.  "What  are  they  after, 
these  Italians  ?  What  do  they  want  with  Mr.  Huddle- 
stone  ?" 

' '  Don't  you  know  ?  "  he  cried.  ' '  The  black  old  scamp 
had  carbonaro  funds  on  a  deposit  —  two  hundred  and 
eighty  thousand ;  and  of  course  he  gambled  it  away  on 
stocks.  There  was  to  have  been  a  revolution  in  the 
Tridentino,  or  Parma;  but  the  revolution  is  off,  and  the 
whole  wasp's  nest  is  after  Huddlestone.  We  shall  all 
be  lucky  if  we  can  save  our  skins." 

"The  carbonari/"  I  exclaimed;  "God  help  him  in- 
deed!" 

250 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

"Amen!"  said Northmour.  "And  now,  look  here: 
I  have  said  that  we  are  in  a  fix ;  and,  frankly,  I  shall  be 
glad  of  your  help.  If  I  can't  save  Huddlestone,  I  want 
at  least  to  save  the  girl.  Come  and  stay  in  the  pavilion ; 
and,  there's  my  hand  on  it,  I  shall  act  as  your  friend 
until  the  old  man  is  either  clear  or  dead.  But, "  he  added, 
"once  that  is  settled,  you  become  my  rival  once  again, 
and  I  warn  you — mind  yourself." 

"Done!"  said  I;  and  we  shook  hands. 

"And  now  let  us  go  directly  to  the  fort,"  said  North- 
mour; and  he  began  to  lead  the  way  through  the  rain. 


251 


CHAPTER  VI 

TELLS  OF  MY   INTRODUCTION   TO  THE  TALL  MAN 

We  were  admitted  to  the  pavilion  by  Clara,  and  I  was 
surprised  by  the  completeness  and  security  of  the  de- 
fences. A  barricade  of  great  strength,  and  yet  easy  to 
displace,  supported  the  door  against  any  violence  from 
without;  and  the  shutters  of  the  dining-room,  into  which 
I  was  led  directly,  and  which  was  feebly  illuminated  by 
a  lamp,  were  even  more  elaborately  fortified.  The  panels 
were  strengthened  by  bars  and  cross-bars ;  and  these,  in 
their  turn,  were  kept  in  position  by  a  system  of  braces 
and  struts,  some  abutting  on  the  floor,  some  on  the  roof, 
and  others,  in  fine,  against  the  opposite  wall  of  the  apart- 
ment. It  was  at  once  a  solid  and  well-designed  piece  of 
carpentry ;  and  I  did  not  seek  to  conceal  my  admiration. 

"I  am  the  engineer,"  said  Northmour.  "You  re- 
member the  planks  in  the  garden  ?    Behold  them  ?  " 

"I  did  not  know  you  had  so  many  talents,"  said  I. 

"Are  you  armed  ?"  he  continued,  pointing  to  an  ar- 
ray of  guns  and  pistols,  all  in  admirable  order,  which 
stood  in  line  against  the  wall  or  were  displayed  upon 
the  sideboard. 

"Thank  you,"  I  returned;  "  I  have  gone  armed  since 
our  last  encounter.  But,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  have  had 
nothing  to  eat  since  early  yesterday  evening." 

252 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

Northmour  produced  some  cold  meat,  to  which  I 
eagerly  set  myself;  and  a  bottle  of  good  Burgundy,  by 
which,  wet  as  I  was,  I  did  not  scruple  to  profit.  I  have 
always  been  an  extreme  temperance  man  on  principle; 
but  it  is  useless  to  push  principle  to  excess,  and  on  this 
occasion  I  believe  that  I  finished  three  quarters  of  the 
bottle.  As  I  ate,  I  still  continued  to  admire  the  prepara- 
tions for  defence. 

"We  could  stand  a  siege,"  I  said  at  length. 

"Ye — es,"  drawled  Northmour;  "a  very  little  one, 
per — haps.  It  is  not  so  much  the  strength  of  the  pavilion 
I  misdoubt;  it  is  the  double  danger  that  kills  me.  If  we 
get  to  shooting,  wild  as  the  country  is  some  one  is  sure 
to  hear  it,  and  then  —  why  then  it's  the  same  thing,  only 
different,  as  they  say,  caged  by  law,  or  killed  by  car- 
bonari. There's  the  choice.  It  is  a  devilish  bad  thing 
to  have  the  law  against  you  in  this  world,  and  so  I  tell 
the  old  gentleman  upstairs.  He  is  quite  of  my  way  of 
thinking." 

"Speaking  of  that,"  said  I,  "what  kind  of  person  is 
he." 

"Oh,  he?"  cried  the  other;  "  he's  a  rancid  fellow  as 
far  as  he  goes.  I  should  like  to  have  his  neck  wrung 
to-morrow  by  all  the  devils  in  Italy.  I  am  not  in  this 
affair  for  him.  You  take  me  ?  I  made  a  bargain  for 
Missy's  hand  and  I  mean  to  have  it  too." 

1 '  That,  by  the  way, "  said  I,  "  I  understand.  But  how 
will  Mr.  Huddlestone  take  my  intrusion?" 

"Leave  that  to  Clara,"  returned  Northmour. 

I  could  have  struck  him  in  the  face  for  this  coarse 
familiarity ;  but  I  respected  the  truce,  as,  I  am  bound  to 
say,  did  Northmour,  and  so  long  as  the  danger  con- 

253 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

tinued  not  a  cloud  arose  in  our  relation.  I  bear  him  this 
testimony  with  the  most  unfeigned  satisfaction ;  nor  am 
I  without  pride  when  I  look  back  upon  my  own  be- 
haviour. For  surely  no  two  men  were  ever  left  in  a 
position  so  invidious  and  irritating. 

As  soon  as  I  had  done  eating,  we  proceeded  to  inspect 
the  lower  floor.  Window  by  window  we  tried  the 
different  supports,  now  and  then  making  an  inconsider- 
able change ;  and  the  strokes  of  the  hammer  sounded 
with  startling  loudness  through  the  house.  I  proposed, 
I  remember,  to  make  loopholes;  but  he  told  me  they 
were  already  made  in  the  windows  of  the  upper  story. 
It  was  an  anxious  business,  this  inspection,  and  left  me 
down-hearted.  There  were  two  doors  and  five  win- 
dows to  protect,  and,  counting  Clara,  only  four  of  us  to 
defend  them  against  an  unknown  number  of  foes.  I 
communicated  my  doubts  to  Northmour,  who  assured 
me,  with  unmoved  composure,  that  he  entirely  shared 
them. 

"  Before  morning,"  said  he,  "we  shall  all  be  butch- 
ered and  buried  in  Graden  Floe.  For  me,  that  is 
written." 

I  could  not  help  shuddering  at  the  mention  of  the 
quicksand,  but  reminded  Northmour  that  our  enemies 
had  spared  me  in  the  wood. 

"  Do  not  flatter  yourself,"  said  he.  "  Then  you  were 
not  in  the  same  boat  with  the  old  gentleman ;  now  you 
are.     It's  the  floe  for  all  of  us,  mark  my  words." 

I  trembled  for  Clara ;  and  just  then  her  dear  voice  was 
heard  calling  us  to  come  upstairs.  Northmour  showed 
me  the  way,  and,  when  he  had  reached  the  landing, 
knocked  at  the  door  of  what  used  to  be  called  My  Un- 

254 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

cle's  Bedroom,  as  the  founder  of  the  pavilion  had  designed 
it  especially  for  himself. 

"Come  in,  Northmour;  come  in,  dear  Mr.  Cassilis," 
said  a  voice  from  within. 

Pushing  open  the  door,  Northmour  admitted  me  be- 
fore him  into  the  apartment.  As  I  came  in  I  could  see 
the  daughter  slipping  out  by  the  side  door  into  the  study, 
which  had  been  prepared  as  her  bedroom.  In  the  bed, 
which  was  drawn  back  against  the  wall,  instead  of 
standing,  as  I  had  last  seen  it,  boldly  across  the  win- 
dow, sat  Bernard  Huddlestone,  the  defaulting  banker. 
Little  as  I  had  seen  of  him  by  the  shifting  light  of  the 
lantern  on  the  links,  I  had  no  difficulty  in  recognising 
him  for  the  same.  He  had  a  long  and  sallow  counte- 
nance, surrounded  by  a  long  red  beard  and  side-whis- 
kers. His  broken  nose  and  high  cheek-bones  gave  him 
somewhat  the  air  of  a  Kalmuck,  and  his  light  eyes  shone 
with  the  excitement  of  a  high  fever.  He  wore  a  skull- 
cap of  black  silk ;  a  huge  Bible  lay  open  before  him  on 
the  bed,  with  a  pair  of  gold  spectacles  in  the  place,  and 
a  pile  of  other  books  lay  on  the  stand  by  his  side.  The 
green  curtains  lent  a  cadaverous  shade  to  his  cheek ;  and, 
as  he  sat  propped  on  pillows,  his  great  stature  was  pain- 
fully hunched,  and  his  head  protruded  till  it  overhung 
his  knees.  I  believe  if  he  had  not  died  otherwise,  he 
must  have  fallen  a  victim  to  consumption  in  the  course 
of  but  a  very  few  weeks. 

He  held  out  to  me  a  hand,  long,  thin,  and  disagree- 
ably hairy. 

"  Come  in,  come  in,  Mr.  Cassilis,"  said  he.  "Another 
protector  —  ahem!  —  another  protector.  Always  wel- 
come as  a  friend  of  my  daughter's,  Mr.  Cassilis.     How 

255 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

they  have  rallied  about  me,  my  daughter's  friends!   May 
God  in  heaven  bless  and  reward  them  for  it!  " 

I  gave  him  my  hand,  of  course,  because  I  could  not 
help  it;  but  the  sympathy  I  had  been  prepared  to  feel 
for  Clara's  father  was  immediately  soured  by  his  ap- 
pearance, and  the  wheedling,  unreal  tones  in  which  he 
spoke. 

"Cassilis  is  a  good  man,"  said  Northmour;  ''worth 
ten." 

"So  I  hear,"  cried  Mr.  Huddlestone  eagerly;  "so  my 
girl  tells  me.  Ah,  Mr.  Cassilis,  my  sin  has  found  me 
out,  you  see!  I  am  very  low,  very  low;  but  I  hope 
equally  penitent.  We  must  all  come  to  the  throne  of 
grace  at  last,  Mr.  Cassilis.  For  my  part,  I  come  late 
indeed;  but  with  unfeigned  humility,  1  trust." 

"Fiddle-de-dee!  "  said  Northmour  roughly. 

"No,  no,  dear  Northmour!  "  cried  the  banker.  "  You 
must  not  say  that;  you  must  not  try  to  shake  me.  You 
forget,  my  dear,  good  boy,  you  forget  I  may  be  called 
this  very  night  before  my  Maker." 

His  excitement  was  pitiful  to  behold ;  and  I  felt  my- 
self grow  indignant  with  Northmour,  whose  infidel 
opinions  I  well  knew,  and  heartily  derided,  as  he  con- 
tinued to  taunt  the  poor  sinner  out  of  his  humour  of  re- 
pentance. 

"  Pooh,  my  dear  Huddlestone!  "  said  he.  "  You  do 
yourself  injustice.  You  are  a  man  of  the  world  inside 
and  out,  and  were  up  to  all  kinds  of  mischief  before 
I  was  born.  Your  conscience  is  tanned  like  South 
American  leather  —  only  you  forgot  to  tan  your  liver, 
and  that,  if  you  will  believe  me,  is  the  seat  of  the  an- 
noyance." 

256 


THE   PAVILION    ON   THE   LINKS 

"Rogue,  rogue!  bad  boy!"  said  Mr.  Huddlestone, 
shaking  his  finger.  "I  am  no  precisian,  if  you  come  to 
that ;  I  always  hated  a  precisian ;  but  I  never  lost  hold 
of  something  better  though  it  all.  I  have  been  a  bad 
boy,  Mr.  Cassilis;  I  do  not  seek  to  deny  that;  but  it 
was  after  my  wife's  death,  and  you  know,  with  a  wid- 
ower, it's  a  different  thing:  sinful  —  I  won't  say  no, 
but  there  is  a  gradation,  we  shall  hope.  And  talking 
of  that —  Hark!"  he  broke  out  suddenly,  his  hand 
raised,  his  fingers  spread,  his  face  racked  with  interest 
and  terror.  "Only  the  rain,  bless  God!"  he  added, 
after  a  pause,  and  with  indescribable  relief. 

For  some  seconds  he  lay  back  among  the  pillows  like 
a  man  near  to  fainting;  then  he  gathered  himself  to- 
gether, and,  in  somewhat  tremulous  tones,  began  once 
more  to  thank  me  for  the  share  I  was  prepared  to  take 
in  his  defence. 

"One  question,  sir,"  said  I,  when  he  had  paused. 
"Is  it  true  that  you  have  money  with  you ?" 

He  seemed  annoyed  by  the  question,  but  admitted 
with  reluctance  that  he  had  a  little. 

1 '  Well, "  I  continued,  "  it  is  their  money  they  are  after, 
is  it  not  ?    Why  not  give  it  up  to  them  ?" 

"Ah!"  replied  he,  shaking  his  head,  "I  have  tried 
that  already,  Mr.  Cassilis ;  and  alas !  that  it  should  be  so, 
but  it  is  blood  they  want." 

"  Huddlestone,  that's  a  little  less  than  fair,"  said 
Northmour.  "  You  should  mention  that  what  you 
offered  them  was  upwards  of  two  hundred  thousand 
short.  The  deficit  is  worth  a  reference ;  it  is  for  what 
they  call  a  cool  sum,  Frank.  Then,  you  see,  the  fellows 
reason  in  their  clear  Italian  way ;  and  it  seems  to  them, 

2S7 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

as  indeed  it  seems  to  me,  that  they  may  just  as  well 
have  both  while  they  are  about  it — money  and  blood 
together,  by  George,  and  no  more  trouble  for  the  extra 
pleasure." 

"  Is  it  in  the  pavilion  ?"  I  asked. 

"  It  is;  and  I  wish  it  was  in  the  bottom  of  the  sea  in- 
stead," said  Northmour;  and  then  suddenly — "What 
are  you  making  faces  at  me  for  ?  "  he  cried  to  Mr.  Hud- 
dlestone,  on  whom  I  had  unconsciously  turned  my  back. 
"  Do  you  think  Cassilis  would  sell  you  ?  " 

Mr.  Huddlestone  protested  that  nothing  had  been  fur- 
ther from  his  mind. 

"It  is  a  good  thing,"  retorted  Northmour  in  his  ug- 
liest manner.  "You  might  end  by  wearying  us.  What 
were  you  going  to  say?"  he  added,  turning  to  me. 

"  I  was  going  to  propose  an  occupation  for  the  after- 
noon," said  I.  "Let  us  carry  that  money  out,  piece  by 
piece,  and  lay  it  down  before  the  pavilion  door.  If  the 
carbonari  come,  why,  it's  theirs  at  any  rate. " 

"No,  no,"  cried  Mr.  Huddlestone;  "it  does  not,  it 
cannot  belong  to  them!  It  should  be  distributed  pro 
rata  among  all  my  creditors." 

"Come,  now,  Huddlestone,"  said  Northmour,  "  none 
of  that." 

"Well,  but  my  daughter,"  moaned  the  wretched 
man. 

"  Your  daughter  will  do  well  enough.  Here  are  two 
suitors,  Cassilis  and  I,  neither  of  us  beggars,  between 
whom  she  has  to  choose.  And  as  for  yourself,  to  make 
an  end  of  arguments,  you  have  no  right  to  a  farthing, 
and,  unless  I'm  much  mistaken,  you  are  going  to  die." 

It  was  certainly  very  cruelly  said;  but  Mr.  Huddle- 
258 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

stone  was  a  man  who  attracted  little  sympathy;  and, 
although  I  saw  him  wince  and  shudder,  I  mentally  en- 
dorsed the  rebuke;  nay,  I  added  a  contribution  of  my 
own. 

"Northmour  and  I,"  I  said,  "are  willing  enough  to 
help  you  to  save  your  life,  but  not  to  escape  with  stolen 
property." 

He  struggled  for  a  while  with  himself,  as  though  he 
were  on  the  point  of  giving  way  to  anger,  but  prudence 
had  the  best  of  the  controversy. 

"My  dear  boys,"  he  said,  "  do  with  me  or  my  money 
what  you  will.  I  leave  all  in  your  hands.  Let  me  com- 
pose myself." 

And  so  we  left  him,  gladly  enough  I  am  sure.  The 
last  that  I  saw,  he  had  once  more  taken  up  his  great 
Bible,  and  with  tremulous  hands  was  adjusting  his  spec- 
tacles to  read. 


259 


CHAPTER  VII 

TELLS  HOW   A  WORD   WAS  CRIED  THROUGH  THE 
PAVILION   WINDOW 

The  recollection  of  that  afternoon  will  always  be 
graven  on  my  mind.  Northmour  and  I  were  persuaded 
that  an  attack  was  imminent ;  and  if  it  had  been  in  our 
power  to  alter  in  any  way  the  order  of  events,  that  power 
would  have  been  used  to  precipitate  rather  than  delay  the 
critical  moment.  The  worst  was  to  be  anticipated ;  yet 
we  could  conceive  no  extremity  so  miserable  as  the  sus- 
pense we  were  now  suffering.  I  have  never  been  an 
eager,  though  always  a  great,  reader ;  but  I  never  knew 
books  so  insipid  as  those  which  I  took  up  and  cast  aside 
that  afternoon  in  the  pavilion.  Even  talk  became  impos- 
sible, as  the  hours  went  on.  One  or  other  was  always 
listening  for  some  sound,  or  peering  from  an  upstairs 
window  over  the  links.  And  yet  not  a  sign  indicated 
the  presence  of  our  foes. 

We  debated  over  and  over  again  my  proposal  with 
regard  to  the  money;  and  had  we  been  in  complete 
possession  of  our  faculties,  I  am  sure  we  should  have 
condemned  it  as  unwise;  but  we  were  flustered  with 
alarm,  grasped  at  a  straw,  and  determined,  although  it 
was  as  much  as  advertising  Mr.  Huddlestone's  presence 
in  the  pavilion,  to  carry  my  proposal  into  effect. 

The  sum  was  part  in  specie,  part  in  bank  paper,  and 
260 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

part  in  circular  notes,  payable  to  the  name  of  James 
Gregory.  We  took  it  out,  counted  it,  enclosed  it  once 
more  in  a  despatch-box  belonging  to  Northmour,  and 
prepared  a  letter  in  Italian  which  he  tied  to  the  handle. 
It  was  signed  by  both  of  us  under  oath,  and  declared 
that  this  was  all  the  money  which  had  escaped  the  fail- 
ure of  the  house  of  Huddlestone.  This  was,  perhaps, 
the  maddest  action  ever  perpetrated  by  two  persons  pro- 
fessing to  be  sane.  Had  the  despatch-box  fallen  into 
other  hands  than  those  for  which  it  was  intended,  we 
stood  criminally  convicted  on  our  own  written  testi- 
mony ;  but,  as  I  have  said,  we  were  neither  of  us  in  a 
condition  to  judge  soberly,  and  had  a  thirst  for  action 
that  drove  us  to  do  something,  right  or  wrong,  rather 
than  endure  the  agony  of  waiting.  Moreover,  as  we 
were  both  convinced  that  the  hollows  of  the  links  were 
alive  with  hidden  spies  upon  our  movements,  we  hoped 
that  our  appearance  with  the  box  might  lead  to  a  parley, 
and,  perhaps,  a  compromise. 

It  was  nearly  three  when  we  issued  from  the  pavilion. 
The  rain  had  taken  off;  the  sun  shone  quite  cheerfully. 
I  have  never  seen  the  gulls  fly  so  close  about  the  house 
or  approach  so  fearlessly  to  human  beings.  On  the  very 
doorstep  one  flapped  heavily  past  our  heads,  and  uttered 
its  wild  cry  in  my  very  ear. 

"There  is  an  omen  for  you,"  said  Northmour,  who 
like  all  freethinkers  was  much  under  the  influence  of 
superstition.     "They  think  we  are  already  dead." 

I  made  some  light  rejoinder,  but  it  was  with  half  my 
heart;  for  the  circumstance  had  impressed  me. 

A  yard  or  two  before  the  gate,  on  a  patch  of  smooth 
turf,  we  set  down  the  despatch-box;  and  Northmour 

r>.6i 


NEW  ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

waved  a  white  handkerchief  over  his  head.  Nothing 
replied.  We  raised  our  voices,  and  cried  aloud  in  Italian 
that  we  were  there  as  ambassadors  to  arrange  the  quar- 
rel; but  the  stillness  remained  unbroken  save  by  the 
sea-gulls  and  the  surf.  I  had  a  weight  at  my  heart 
when  we  desisted,  and  I  saw  that  even  Northmour  was 
unusually  pale.  He  looked  over  his  shoulder  nervously, 
as  though  he  feared  that  some  one  had  crept  between 
him  and  the  pavilion  door. 

" By  God,"  he  said  in  a  whisper,  "this  is  too  much 
for  me! " 

I  replied  in  the  same  key:  "Suppose  there  should  be 
none,  after  all! " 

"Look  there,"  he  returned,  nodding  with  his  head, 
as  though  he  had  been  afraid  to  point. 

I  glanced  in  the  direction  indicated ;  and  there,  from 
the  northern  corner  of  the  Sea-Wood,  beheld  a  thin  col- 
umn of  smoke  rising  steadily  against  the  now  cloudless 
sky. 

"Northmour,"  I  said  (we  still  continued  to  talk  in 
whispers),  "it  is  not  possible  to  endure  this  suspense. 
I  prefer  death  fifty  times  over.  Stay  you  here  to  watch 
the  pavilion ;  I  will  go  forward  and  make  sure,  if  I  have 
to  walk  right  into  their  camp." 

He  looked  once  again  all  around  him  with  puckered 
eyes,  and  then  nodded  assentingly  to  my  proposal. 

My  heart  beat  like  a  sledge-hammer  as  I  set  out  walk- 
ing rapidly  in  the  direction  of  the  smoke;  and  though 
up  to  that  moment  I  had  felt  chill  and  shivering,  I  was 
suddenly  conscious  of  a  glow  of  heat  over  all  my  body. 
The  ground  in  this  direction  was  very  uneven ;  a  hun- 
dred men  might  have  lain  hidden  in  as  many  square 

262 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

yards  about  my  path.  But  I  had  not  practised  the  busi- 
ness in  vain,  chose  such  routes  as  cut  at  the  very  root 
of  concealment,  and,  by  keeping  along  the  most  con- 
venient ridges,  commanded  several  hollows  at  a  time. 
It  was  not  long  before  I  was  rewarded  for  my  caution. 
Coming  suddenly  on  to  a  mound  somewhat  more  elevated 
than  the  surrounding  hummocks  I  saw,  not  thirty  yards 
away,  a  man  bent  almost  double,  and  running  as  fast  as 
his  attitude  permitted,  along  the  bottom  of  a  gully.  I 
had  dislodged  one  of  the  spies  from  his  ambush.  As 
soon  as  I  sighted  him,  I  called  loudly  both  in  English 
and  Italian ;  and  he,  seeing  concealment  was  no  longer 
possible,  straightened  himself  out,  leaped  from  the  gully, 
and  made  off  as  straight  as  an  arrow  for  the  borders  of 
the  wood. 

It  was  none  of  my  business  to  pursue ;  I  had  learned 
what  I  wanted  —  that  we  were  beleaguered  and  watched 
in  the  pavilion ;  and  I  returned  at  once,  and  walking  as 
nearly  as  possible  in  my  old  footsteps,  to  where  North- 
mour  awaited  me  beside  the  despatch-box.  He  was 
even  paler  than  when  I  had  left  him,  and  his  voice 
shook  a  little. 

"  Could  you  see  what  he  was  like  ?  "  he  asked. 

"He  kept  his  back  turned,"  I  replied. 

"  Let  us  go  into  the  house,  Frank.  I  don't  think  I'm 
a  coward,  but  I  can  stand  no  more  of  this,"  he  whis- 
pered. 

All  was  still  and  sunshiny  about  the  pavilion  as  we 
turned  to  re-enter  it ;  even  the  gulls  had  flown  in  a  wider 
circuit,  and  were  seen  flickering  along  the  beach  and 
sand-hills;  and  this  loneliness  terrified  me  more  than  a 
regiment  under  arms.      It  was  not  until  the  door  was 

263 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

barricaded  that  I  could  draw  a  full  inspiration  and  relieve 
the  weight  that  lay  upon  my  bosom.  Northmour  and 
I  exchanged  a  steady  glance;  and  I  suppose  each  made 
his  own  reflections  on  the  white  and  startled  aspect  of 
the  other. 

\ '  You  were  right, "  I  said.  ■ '  All  is  over.  Shake  hands, 
old  man,  for  the  last  time."     ' 

' •  Yes, "  replied  he,  "I  will  shake  hands ;  for,  as  sure  as  I 
am  here,  I  bear  no  malice.  But,  remember,  if,  by  some  im- 
possible accident,  we  should  give  the  slip  to  these  black- 
guards, I'll  take  the  upper  hand  of  you  by  fair  or  foul." 

"Oh,"  said  I,  "you  weary  me." 

He  seemed  hurt,  and  walked  away  in  silence  to  the 
foot  of  the  stairs,  where  he  paused. 

"You  do  not  understand  me,"  said  he,  "I  am  not  a 
swindler,  and  I  guard  myself ;  that  is  all.  It  may  weary 
you  or  not,  Mr.  Cassilis,  I  do  not  care  a  rush ;  I  speak  for 
my  own  satisfaction,  and  not  for  your  amusement. 
You  had  better  go  upstairs  and  court  the  girl ;  for  my 
part,  I  stay  here." 

"  And  I  stay  with  you,"  I  returned.  "  Do  you  think 
I  would  steal  a  march,  even  with  your  permission  ?" 

"Frank,"  he  said,  smiling,  "it's  a  pity  you  are  an 
ass,  for  you  have  the  makings  of  a  man.  I  think  I  must 
be  fey  to-day ;  you  cannot  irritate  me,  even  when  you 
try.  Do  you  know,"  he  continued  softly,  "  I  think  we 
are  the  two  most  miserable  men  in  England,  you  and  I  ? 
we  have  got  on  to  thirty  without  wife  or  child,  or  so 
much  as  a  shop  to  look  after  —  poor,  pitiful,  lost  devils, 
both  !  And  now  we  clash  about  a  girl !  As  if  there 
were  not  several  millions  in  the  United  Kingdom !  Ah, 
Frank,  Frank,  the  one  who  loses  his  throw,  be  it  you 

264 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

or  me,  he  has  my  pity  !  It  were  better  for  him  —  how 
does  the  Bible  say  ?  —  that  a  millstone  were  hanged 
about  his  neck  and  he  were  cast  into  the  depth  of  the 
sea.  Let  us  take  a  drink,"  he  concluded  suddenly,  but 
without  any  levity  of  tone. 

I  was  touched  by  his  words,  and  consented.  He  sat 
down  on  the  table  in  the  dining-room,  and  held  up  the 
glass  of  sherry  to  his  eye. 

"  If  you  beat  me,  Frank,"  he  said,  "I  shall  take  to 
drink.     What  will  you  do,  if  it  goes  the  other  way  ?  " 

"God  knows,"  I  returned. 

"Well,"  said  he,  "here  is  a  toast  in  the  meantime: 
'  Italia  irredenta  ! '  " 

The  remainder  of  the  day  was  passed  in  the  same 
dreadful  tedium  and  suspense.  I  laid  the  table  for  din- 
ner, while  Northmour  and  Clara  prepared  the  meal  to- 
gether in  the  kitchen.  I  could  hear  their  talk  as  I  went 
to  and  fro,  and  was  surprised  to  find  it  ran  all  the  time 
upon  myself.  Northmour  again  bracketed  us  together, 
and  rallied  Clara  on  a  choice  of  husbands ;  but  he  con- 
tinued to  speak  of  me  with  some  feeling,  and  uttered 
nothing  to  my  prejudice  unless  he  included  himself  in 
the  condemnation.  This  awakened  a  sense  of  gratitude 
in  my  heart,  which  combined  with  the  immediateness 
of  our  peril  to  fill  my  eyes  with  tears.  After  all,  I 
thought  —  and  perhaps  the  thought  was  laughably  vain 
—  we  were  here  three  very  noble  human  beings  to  per- 
ish in  defence  of  a  thieving  banker. 

Before  we  sat  down  to  table,  I  looked  forth  from  an 
upstairs  window.  The  day  was  beginning  to  decline; 
the  links  were  utterly  deserted ;  the  despatch-box  still 
lay  untouched  where  we  had  left  it  hours  before. 

265 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

Mr.  Huddlestone,  in  a  long  yellow  dressing-gown, 
took  one  end  of  the  table,  Clara  the  other;  while  North- 
mour  and  I  faced  each  other  from  the  sides.  The  lamp 
was  brightly  trimmed ;  the  wine  was  good;  the  viands, 
although  mostly  cold,  excellent  of  their  sort.  We  seemed 
to  have  agreed  tacitly;  all  reference  to  the  impending 
catastrophe  was  carefully  avoided ;  and,  considering  our 
tragic  circumstances,  we  made  a  merrier  party  than 
could  have  been  expected.  From  time  to  time,  it  is  true, 
Northmour  or  I  would  rise  from  the  table  and  make  a 
round  of  the  defences ;  and,  on  each  of  these  occasions 
Mr.  Huddlestone  was  recalled  to  a  sense  of  his  tragic 
predicament,  glanced  up  with  ghastly  eyes,  and  bore 
for  an  instant  on  his  countenance  the  stamp  of  terror. 
But  he  hastened  to  empty  his  glass,  wiped  his  fore- 
head with  his  handkerchief,  and  joined  again  in  the  con- 
versation. 

I  was  astonished  at  the  wit  and  information  he  dis- 
played. Mr.  Huddlestone's  was  certainly  no  ordinary 
character;  he  had  read  and  observed  for  himself;  his 
gifts  were  sound;  and,  though  I  could  never  have 
learned  to  love  the  man,  I  began  to  understand  his  suc- 
cess in  business,  and  the  great  respect  in  which  he  had 
been  held  before  his  failure.  He  had,  above  all,  the 
talent  of  society ;  and  though  I  never  heard  him  speak 
but  on  this  one  and  most  unfavourable  occasion,  I  set 
him  down  among  the  most  brilliant  conversationalists  I 
ever  met. 

He  was  relating  with  great  gusto,  and  seemingly  no 
feeling  of  shame,  the  manoeuvres  of  a  scoundrelly  com- 
mission merchant  whom  he  had  known  and  studied  in 
his  youth,  and  we  were  all  listening  with  an  odd  mix- 

266 


THE   PAVILION   ON    THE   LINKS 

ture  of  mirth  and  embarrassment,  when  our  little  party 
was  brought  abruptly  to  an  end  in  the  most  startling 
manner. 

A  noise  like  that  of  a  wet  finger  on  the  window-pane 
interrupted  Mr.  Huddlestone's  tale;  and  in  an  instant 
we  were  all  four  as  white  as  paper,  and  sat  tongue-tied 
and  motionless  round  the  table. 

"A  snail,"  I  said  at  last;  for  I  had  heard  that  these 
animals  make  a  noise  somewhat  similar  in  character. 

" Snail  be  d— d!"  said  Northmour.     "Hush!" 

The  same  sound  was  repeated  twice  at  regular  inter- 
vals ;  and  then  a  formidable  voice  shouted  through  the 
shutters  the  Italian  word  "  Traditoref" 

Mr.  Huddlestone  threw  his  head  in  the  air;  his  eye- 
lids quivered ;  next  moment  he  fell  insensible  below  the 
table.  Northmour  and  I  had  each  run  to  the  armoury 
and  seized  a  gun.  Clara  was  on  her  feet  with  her  hand 
at  her  throat. 

So  we  stood  waiting,  for  we  thought  the  hour  of  at- 
tack was  certainly  come ;  but  second  passed  after  second, 
and  all  but  the  surf  remained  silent  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  pavilion. 

' 'Quick,"  said  Northmour;  "upstairs  with  him  be- 
fore they  come." 


*7 


CHAPTER  VIII 

TELLS  THE   LAST  OF  THE  TALL  MAN 

Somehow  or  other,  by  hook  and  crook,  and  between 
the  three  of  us,  we  got  Bernard  Huddlestone  bundled 
upstairs  and  laid  upon  the  bed  in  My  Uncle's  Room. 
During  the  whole  process,  which  was  rough  enough, 
he  gave  no  sign  of  consciousness,  and  he  remained,  as 
we  had  thrown  him,  without  changing  the  position  of 
a  finger.  His  daughter  opened  his  shirt  and  began  to 
wet  his  head  and  bosom ;  while  Northmour  and  I  ran  to 
the  window.  The  weather  continued  clear;  the  moon, 
which  was  now  about  full,  had  risen  and  shed  a  very 
clear  light  upon  the  links;  yet,  strain  our  eyes  as  we 
might,  we  could  distinguish  nothing  moving.  A  few 
dark  spots,  more  or  less,  on  the  uneven  expanse  were 
not  to  be  identified;  they  might  be  crouching  men, 
they  might  be  shadows ;  it  was  impossible  to  be  sure. 

"Thank  God,"  said  Northmour,  "  Aggie  is  not  com- 
ing to-night." 

Aggie  was  the  name  of  the  old  nurse ;  he  had  not 
thought  of  her  till  now ;  but  that  he  should  think  of  her 
at  all,  was  a  trait  that  surprised  me  in  the  man. 

We  were  again  reduced  to  waiting.  Northmour  went 
to  the  fireplace  and  spread  his  hands  before  the  red  em- 
bers, as  if  he  were  cold.     I  followed  him  mechanically 

268 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

with  my  eyes,  and  in  so  doing  turned  my  back  upon  the 
window.  At  that  moment  a  very  faint  report  was  audi- 
ble from  without,  and  a  ball  shivered  a  pane  of  glass,  and 
buried  itself  in  the  shutter  two  inches  from  my  head.  I 
heard  Clara  scream ;  and  though  I  whipped  instantly  out 
of  range  and  into  a  corner,  she  was  there,  so  to  speak, 
before  me,  beseeching  to  know  if  I  were  hurt.  I  felt  that 
I  could  stand  to  be  shot  at  every  day  and  all  day  long, 
with  such  marks  of  solicitude  for  a  reward ;  and  I  con- 
tinued to  reassure  her,  with  the  tenderest  caresses  and 
in  complete  forgetfulness  of  our  situation,  till  the  voice 
of  Northmour  recalled  me  to  myself. 

"An  air-gun,"  he  said.  "They  wish  to  make  no 
noise." 

I  put  Clara  aside,  and  looked  at  him.  He  was  stand- 
ing with  his  back  to  the  fire  and  his  hands  clasped  be- 
hind him ;  and  I  knew  by  the  black  look  on  his  face,  that 
passion  was  boiling  within.  I  had  seen  just  such  a  look 
before  he  attacked  me,  that  March  night,  in  the  adjoin- 
ing chamber ;  and,  though  I  could  make  every  allowance 
for  his  anger,  I  confess  I  trembled  for  the  consequences. 
He  gazed  straight  before  him ;  but  he  could  see  us  with 
the  tail  of  his  eye,  and  his  temper  kept  rising  like  a  gale 
of  wind.  With  regular  battle  awaiting  us  outside,  this 
prospect  of  an  internecine  strife  within  the  walls  began 
to  daunt  me. 

Suddenly,  as  I  was  thus  closely  watching  his  expres- 
sion and  prepared  against  the  worst,  I  saw  a  change,  a 
flash,  a  look  of  relief,  upon  his  face.  He  took  up  the 
lamp  which  stood  beside  him  on  the  table,  and  turned 
to  us  with  an  air  of  some  excitement. 

"There  is  one  point  that  we  must  know,"  said  he. 

26Q 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

"  Are  they  going  to  butcher  the  lot  of  us,  or  only  Hud- 
dlestone  ?  Did  they  take  you  for  him,  or  fire  at  you  for 
your  own  beaux yeux?  " 

"  They  took  me  for  him,  for  certain,"  I  replied.  "  1 
am  near  as  tall,  and  my  head  is  fair." 

"  I  am  going  to  make  sure,"  returned  Northmour;  and 
he  stepped  up  to  the  window,  holding  the  lamp  above 
his  head,  and  stood  there,  quietly  affronting  death,  for 
half  a  minute. 

Clara  sought  to  rush  forward  and  pull  him  from  the 
place  of  danger;  but  I  had  the  pardonable  selfishness  to 
hold  her  back  by  force. 

"  Yes,"  said  Northmour,  turning  coolly  from  the  win- 
dow ;  "it 's  only  Huddlestone  they  want." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Northmour!"  cried  Clara;  but  found  no 
more  to  add ;  the  temerity  she  had  just  witnessed  seem- 
ing beyond  the  reach  of  words. 

He,  on  his  part,  looked  at  me,  cocking  his  head,  with 
a  fire  of  triumph  in  his  eyes ;  and  I  understood  at  once 
that  he  had  thus  hazarded  his  life,  merely  to  attract 
Clara's  notice,  and  depose  me  from  my  position  as  the 
hero  of  the  hour.     He  snapped  his  fingers. 

"The  fire  is  only  beginning,"  he  said.  M  When  they 
warm  up  to  their  work,  they  won't  be  so  particular." 

A  voice  was  now  heard  hailing  us  from  the  entrance. 
From  the  window  we  could  see  the  figure  of  a  man  in 
the  moonlight;  he  stood  motionless,  his  face  uplifted  to 
ours,  and  a  rag  of  something  white  on  his  extended  arm ; 
and  as  we  looked  right  down  upon  him,  though  he  was 
a  good  many  yards  distant  on  the  links,  we  could  see 
the  moonlight  glitter  on  his  eyes. 

He  opened  his  lips  again,  and  spoke  for  some  minutes 
270 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

on  end,  in  a  key  so  loud  that  he  might  have  been  heard 
in  every  corner  of  the  pavilion,  and  as  far  away  as  the 
borders  of  the  wood.  It  was  the  same  voice  that  had 
already  shouted  "Traditore/"  through  the  shutters  of 
the  dining-room ;  this  time  it  made  a  complete  and  clear 
statement.  If  the  traitor  "  Oddlestone  "  were  given  up, 
all  others  should  be  spared ;  if  not,  no  one  should  escape 
to  tell  the  tale. 

"Well,  Huddlestone,  what  do  you  say  to  that?" 
asked  Northmour,  turning  to  the  bed. 

Up  to  that  moment  the  banker  had  given  no  sign  of 
life,  and  I,  at  least,  had  supposed  him  to  be  still  lying  in 
a  faint;  but  he  replied  at  once,  and  in  such  tones  as  I  have 
never  heard  elsewhere,  save  from  a  delirious  patient,  ad- 
jured and  besought  us  not  to  desert  him.  It  was  the 
most  hideous  and  abject  performance  that  my  imagina- 
tion can  conceive. 

"Enough,"  cried  Northmour;  and  then  he  threw  open 
the  window,  leaned  out  into  the  night,  and  in  a  tone  of 
exultation,  and  with  a  total  forgetfulness  of  what  was 
due  to  the  presence  of  a  lady,  poured  out  upon  the  am- 
bassador a  string  of  the  most  abominable  raillery  both 
in  English  and  Italian,  and  bade  him  be  gone  where  he 
had  come  from.  I  believe  that  nothing  so  delighted 
Northmour  at  that  moment  as  the  thought  that  we  must 
all  infallibly  perish  before  the  night  was  out. 

Meantime  the  Italian  put  his  flag  of  truce  into  his 
pocket,  and  disappeared,  at  a  leisurely  pace,  among  the 
sand-hills. 

"They  make  honourable  war,"  said  Northmour. 
"They  are  all  gentlemen  and  soldiers.  For  the  credit 
of  the  thing,  I  wish  we  could  change  sides  —  you  and  I, 

271 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

Frank,  and  you  too,  Missy  my  darling  —  and  leave  that 
being  on  the  bed  to  some  one  else.  Tut!  Don't  look 
shocked !  We  are  all  going  post  to  what  they  call  eter- 
nity, and  may  as  well  be  above-board  while  there's  time. 
As  far  as  I'm  concerned,  if  I  could  first  strangle  Huddle- 
stone  and  then  get  Clara  in  my  arms,  I  could  die  with 
some  pride  and  satisfaction.  And  as  it  is,  by  God,  I'll 
have  a  kiss!" 

Before  I  could  do  anything  to  interfere,  he  had  rudely 
embraced  and  repeatedly  kissed  the  resisting  girl.  Next 
moment  I  had  pulled  him  away  with  fury,  and  flung 
him  heavily  against  the  wall.  He  laughed  loud  and 
long,  and  I  feared  his  wits  had  given  way  under  the 
strain ;  for  even  in  the  best  of  days  he  had  been  a  sparing 
and  a  quiet  laughei. 

"Now,  Frank,"  said  he,  when  his  mirth  had  some- 
what appeased,  "it's  your  turn.  Here's  my  hand. 
Good-bye ;  farewell !  "  Then,  seeing  me  stand  rigid 
and  indignant,  and  holding  Clara  to  my  side — "  Man! " 
he  broke  out,  "are  you  angry  ?  Did  you  think  we  were 
going  to  die  with  all  the  airs  and  graces  of  society  ?  I 
took  a  kiss;  I'm  glad  I  had  it;  and  now  you  can  take 
another  if  you  like,  and  square  accounts." 

I  turned  from  him  with  a  feeling  of  contempt  which 
I  did  not  seek  to  dissemble. 

"As  you  please,"  said  he.  "You've  been  a  prig  in 
life;  a  prig  you'll  die." 

And  with  that  he  sat  down  in  a  chair,  a  rifle  over  the 
knee,  and  amused  himself  with  snapping  the  lock;  but 
I  could  see  that  his  ebullition  of  light  spirits  (the  only 
one  I  ever  knew  him  to  display)  had  already  come  to 
an  end,  and  was  succeeded  by  a  sullen,  scowling  humour. 

272 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

All  this  time  our  assailants  might  have  been  entering 
the  house,  and  we  been  none  the  wiser;  we  had  in  truth 
almost  forgotten  the  danger  that  so  imminently  over- 
hung our  days.  But  just  then  Mr.  Huddlestone  uttered 
a  cry,  and  leaped  from  the  bed. 

I  asked  him  what  was  wrong. 

"Fire!"  he  cried.  "They  have  set  the  house  on 
fire!" 

Northmour  was  on  his  feet  in  an  instant,  and  he  and 
I  ran  through  the  door  of  communication  with  the  study. 
The  room  was  illuminated  by  a  red  and  angry  light. 
Almost  at  the  moment  of  our  entrance,  a  tower  of  flame 
arose  in  front  of  the  window,  and,  with  a  tingling  re- 
port, a  pane  fell  inwards  on  the  carpet.  They  had  set 
fire  to  the  lean-to  out-house,  where  Northmour  used  to 
nurse  his  negatives. 

"  Hot  work,"  said  Northmour.  M  Let  us  try  in  your 
old  room." 

We  ran  thither  in  a  breath,  threw  up  the  casement, 
and  looked  forth.  Along  the  whole  back  wall  of  the 
pavilion  piles  of  fuel  had  been  arranged  and  kindled ; 
and  it  is  probable  they  had  been  drenched  with  mineral 
oil,  for,  in  spite  of  the  morning's  rain,  they  all  burned 
bravely.  The  fire  had  taken  a  firm  hold  already  on  the 
out-house,  which  blazed  higher  and  higher  every  mo- 
ment; the  back  door  was  in  the  centre  of  a  red-hot  bon- 
fire; the  eaves  we  could  see,  as  we  looked  upward, 
were  already  smouldering,  for  the  roof  overhung,  and 
was  supported  by  considerable  beams  of  wood.  At  the 
same  time,  hot,  pungent,  and  choking  volumes  of 
smoke  began  to  fill  the  house.  There  was  not  a  human 
being  to  be  seen  to  right  or  left. 

273 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

"  Ah,  well!  "  said  Northmour,  "  here's  the  end,  thank 
God." 

And  we  returned  to  My  Uncle's  Room.  Mr.  Huddle- 
stone  was  putting  on  his  boots,  still  violently  trembling, 
but  with  an  air  of  determination  such  as  I  had  not  hith- 
erto observed.  Clara  stood  close  by  him,  with  her  cloak 
in  both  hands  ready  to  throw  about  her  shoulders,  and 
a  strange  look  in  her  eyes,  as  if  she  were  half  hopeful, 
half  doubtful  of  her  father. 

"Well,  boys  and  girls,"  said  Northmour,  "  how  about 
a  sally  ?  The  oven  is  heating;  it  is  not  good  to  stay  here 
and  be  baked ;  and,  for  my  part,  I  want  to  come  to  my 
hands  with  them  and  be  done." 

"There  is  nothing  else  left,"  I  replied. 

And  both  Clara  and  Mr.  Huddlestone,  though  with  a 
very  different  intonation,  added,  "Nothing." 

As  we  went  downstairs  the  heat  was  excessive,  and 
the  roaring  of  the  fire  filled  our  ears ;  and  we  had  scarce 
reached  the  passage  before  the  stairs  window  fell  in,  a 
branch  of  flame  shot  brandishing  through  the  aperture, 
and  the  interior  of  the  pavilion  became  lit  up  with  that 
dreadful  and  fluctuating  glare.  At  the  same  moment 
we  heard  the  fall  of  something  heavy  and  inelastic  in  the 
upper  story.  The  whole  pavilion,  it  was  plain,  had 
gone  alight  like  a  box  of  matches,  and  now  not  only 
flamed  sky-high  to  land  and  sea,  but  threatened  with 
every  moment  to  crumble  and  fall  in  about  our  ears. 

Northmour  and  I  cocked  our  revolvers.  Mr.  Huddle- 
stone,  who  had  already  refused  a  firearm,  put  us  behind 
him  with  a  manner  of  command. 

"  Let  Clara  open  the  door,"  said  he.  "  So,  if  they  fire 
a  volley,  she  will  be  protected.     And  in  the  meantime 

274 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

stand  behind  me.  I  am  the  scapegoat;  my  sins  have 
found  me  out." 

1  heard  him,  as  I  stood  breathless  by  his  shoulder, 
with  my  pistol  ready,  pattering  off  prayers  in  a  tremu- 
lous, rapid  whisper;  and  I  confess,  horrid  as  the  thought 
may  seem,  I  despised  him  for  thinking  of  supplications 
in  a  moment  so  critical  and  thrilling.  In  the  meantime, 
Clara,  who  was  dead  white,  but  still  possessed  her  fac- 
ulties, had  displaced  the  barricade  from  the  front  door. 
Another  moment,  and  she  had  pulled  it  open.  Firelight 
and  moonlight  illuminated  the  links  with  confused  and 
changeful  lustre,  and  far  away  against  the  sky  we  could 
see  a  long  trail  of  glowing  smoke. 

Mr.  Huddlestone,  filled  for  the  moment  with  a  strength 
greater  than  his  own,  struck  Northmour  and  myself  a 
back-hander  in  the  chest;  and  while  we  were  thus  for 
the  moment  incapacitated  from  action,  lifting  his  arms 
above  his  head  like  one  about  to  dive,  he  ran  straight 
forward  out  of  the  pavilion. 

"Here  am  I!"  he  cried — "Huddlestone!  Kill  me, 
and  spare  the  others! " 

His  sudden  appearance  daunted,  I  suppose,  our  hidden 
enemies;  for  Northmour  and  I  had  time  to  recover,  to 
seize  Clara  between  us,  one  by  each  arm,  and  to  rush 
forth  to  his  assistance,  ere  anything  further  had  taken 
place.  But  scarce  had  we  passed  the  threshold  when 
there  came  near  a  dozen  reports  and  flashes  from  every 
direction  among  the  hollows  of  the  links.  Mr.  Huddle- 
stone  staggered,  uttered  a  weird  and  freezing  cry,  threw 
up  his  arms  over  his  head,  and  fell  backward  on  the  turf. 

"Traditore!  Traditore!"  cried  the  invisible  avengers. 

And  just  then,  a  part  of  the  roof  of  the  pavilion  fell  in, 
275 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

so  rapid  was  the  progress  of  the  fire.  A  loud,  vague, 
and  horrible  noise  accompanied  the  collapse,  and  a  vast 
volume  of  flame  went  soaring  up  to  heaven.  It  must 
have  been  visible  at  that  moment  from  twenty  miles  out 
at  sea,  from  the  shore  at  Graden  Wester,  and  far  inland 
from  the  peak  of  Graystiel,  the  most  eastern  summit  of 
the  Caulder  Hills.  Bernard  Huddlestone,  although  God 
knows  what  were  his  obsequies,  had  a  fine  pyre  at  the 
moment  of  his  death. 


276 


CHAPTER  IX 

TELLS   HOW   NORTHMOUR   CARRIED   OUT   HIS   THREAT 

I  should  have  the  greatest  difficulty  to  tell  you  what 
followed  next  after  this  tragic  circumstance.  It  is  all  to 
me,  as  I  look  back  upon  it,  mixed,  strenuous,  and  in- 
effectual, like  the  struggles  of  a  sleeper  in  a  nightmare. 
Clara,  I  remember,  uttered  a  broken  sigh  and  would 
have  fallen  forward  to  earth,  had  not  Northmour  and  I 
supported  her  insensible  body.  I  do  not  think  we  were 
attacked;  I  do  not  remember  even  to  have  seen  an 
assailant;  and  I  believe  we  deserted  Mr.  Huddlestone 
without  a  glance.  I  only  remember  running  like  a  man 
in  a  panic,  now  carrying  Clara  altogether  in  my  own 
arms,  now  sharing  her  weight  with  Northmour,  now 
scuffling  confusedly  for  the  possession  of  that  dear 
burden.  Why  we  should  have  made  for  my  camp  in 
the  Hemlock  Den,  or  how  we  reached  it,  are  points  lost 
for  ever  to  my  recollection.  The  first  moment  at  which 
I  became  definitely  sure,  Clara  had  been  suffered  to  foil 
against  the  outside  of  my  little  tent,  Northmour  and  I 
wrere  tumbling  together  on  the  ground,  and  he,  with  con- 
tained ferocity,  was  striking  for  my  head  with  the  butt  of 
his  revolver.  He  had  already  twice  wounded  me  on  the 
scalp ;  and  it  is  to  the  consequent  loss  of  blood  that  I  am 
tempted  to  attribute  the  sudden  clearness  of  my  mind. 

277 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

I  caught  him  by  the  wrist. 

"Northmour,"  I  remember  saying,  "you  can  kill  me 
afterwards.     Let  us  first  attend  to  Clara." 

He  was  at  that  moment  uppermost.  Scarcely  had  the 
words  passed  my  lips,  when  he  had  leaped  to  his  feet 
and  ran  towards  the  tent;  and  the  next  moment,  he  was 
straining  Clara  to  his  heart  and  covering  her  unconscious 
hands  and  face  with  his  caresses. 

"Shame!  "  I  cried.     "Shame  to  you,  Northmour!" 

And,  giddy  though  I  still  was,  I  struck  him  repeat- 
edly upon  the  head  and  shoulders. 

He  relinquished  his  grasp,  and  faced  me  in  the  broken 
moonlight. 

"I  had  you  under,  and  let  you  go,"  said  he;  "and 
now  you  strike  me!    Coward!  " 

"You  are  the  coward,"  I  retorted.  "Did  she  wish 
your  kisses  while  she  was  still  sensible  of  what  she 
wanted  ?  Not  she!  And  now  she  may  be  dying;  and 
you  waste  this  precious  time,  and  abuse  her  helpless- 
ness.    Stand  aside,  and  let  me  help  her." 

He  confronted  me  for  a  moment,  white  and  menac- 
ing; then  suddenly  he  stepped  aside. 

"Help  her  then,"  said  he. 

I  threw  myself  on  my  knees  beside  her,  and  loosened, 
as  well  as  I  was  able,  her  dress  and  corset;  but  while  I 
was  thus  engaged,  a  grasp  descended  on  my  shoulder. 

"  Keep  your  hands  off  her,"  said  Northmour  fiercely. 
"Do  you  think  I  have  no  blood  in  my  veins  ? " 

"Northmour,"  I  cried,  "if  you  will  neither  help  her 
yourself,  nor  let  me  do  so,  do  you  know  that  I  shall  have 
to  kill  you  ?" 

"That  is  better!"  he  cried.     "Let   her  die  also, 
278 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

where's  the  harm  ?    Step  aside  from   that  girl !    and 
stand  up  to  fight." 

"You  will  observe,"  said  I,  half-rising,  "that  I  have 
not  kissed  her  yet." 

"  I  dare  you  to,"  he  cried. 

I  do  not  know  what  possessed  me ;  it  was  one  of  the 
things  I  am  most  ashamed  of  in  my  life,  though,  as  my 
wife  used  to  say,  I  knew  that  my  kisses  would  be  always 
welcome  were  she  dead  or  living;  down  I  fell  again  upon 
my  knees,  parted  the  hair  from  her  forehead,  and,  with 
the  dearest  respect,  laid  my  lips  for  a  moment  on  that 
cold  brow.  It  was  such  a  caress  as  a  father  might  have 
given ;  it  was  such  a  one  as  was  not  unbecoming  from 
a  man  soon  to  die  to  a  woman  already  dead. 

"And  now,"  said  I,  "I  am  at  your  service,  Mr. 
Northmour." 

But  I  saw,  to  my  surprise,  that  he  had  turned  his  back 
upon  me. 

"  Do  you  hear  ?"  I  asked. 

"Yes,"  said  he,  "I  do.  If  you  wish  to  fight,  I  am 
ready.     If  not,  go  on  and  save  Clara.    All  is  one  to  me." 

I  did  not  wait  to  be  twice  bidden ;  but,  stooping  again 
over  Clara,  continued  my  efforts  to  revive  her.  She 
still  lay  white  and  lifeless;  I  began  to  fear  that  her  sweet 
spirit  had  indeed  fled  beyond  recall,  and  horror  and  a 
sense  of  utter  desolation  seized  upon  my  heart.  I  called 
her  by  name  with  the  most  endearing  inflections ;  I 
chafed  and  beat  her  hands;  now  I  laid  her  head  low, 
now  supported  it  against  my  knee ;  but  all  seemed  to 
be  in  vain,  and  the  lids  still  lay  heavy  on  her  eyes. 

"Northmour,"  I  said,  "  there  is  my  hat.  For  God's 
sake  bring  some  water  from  the  spring." 

279 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

Almost  in  a  moment  he  was  by  my  side  with  the 
water. 

"  I  have  brought  it  in  my  own,"  he  said.  "  You  do 
not  grudge  me  the  privilege  ?" 

"Northmour,"  I  was  beginning  to  say,  as  I  laved  her 
head  and  breast ;  but  he  interrupted  me  savagely. 

"Oh,  you  hush  up!  "  he  said.  "The  best  thing  you 
can  do  is  to  say  nothing." 

I  had  certainly  no  desire  to  talk,  my  mind  being  swal- 
lowed up  in  concern  for  my  dear  love  and  her  condi- 
tion ;  so  I  continued  in  silence  to  do  my  best  towards 
her  recovery,  and,  when  the  hat  was  empty,  returned  it 
to  him,  with  one  word — "More."  He  had,  perhaps, 
gone  several  times  upon  this  errand,  when  Clara  re- 
opened her  eyes. 

"Now,"  said  he,  "since  she  is  better,  you  can  spare 
me,  can  you  not  ?  I  wish  you  a  good  night,  Mr.  Cas- 
silis." 

And  with  that  he  was  gone  among  the  thicket.  I 
made  a  fire,  for  I  had  now  no  fear  of  the  Italians,  who 
had  even  spared  all  the  little  possessions  left  in  my  en- 
campment; and,  broken  as  she  was  by  the  excitement 
and  the  hideous  catastrophe  of  the  evening,  I  managed, 
in  one  way  or  another  —  by  persuasion,  encouragement, 
warmth,  and  such  simple  remedies  as  I  could  lay  my 
hand  on  —  to  bring  her  back  to  some  composure  of 
mind  and  strength  of  body. 

Day  had  already  come,  when  a  sharp  "Hist !  "  sounded 
from  the  thicket.  I  started  from  the  ground ;  but  the 
voice  of  Northmour  was  heard  adding,  in  the  most  tran- 
quil tones:  "Come  here,  Cassilis,  and  alone;  I  want  to 
show  you  something." 

280 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

I  consulted  Clara  with  my  eyes,  and,  receiving  her 
tacit  permission,  left  her  alone,  and  clambered  out  of  the 
den.  At  some  distance  off  I  saw  Northmour  leaning 
against  an  elder;  and,  as  soon  as  he  perceived  me,  he 
began  walking  seaward.  I  had  almost  overtaken  him 
as  he  reached  the  outskirts  of  the  wood. 

"  Look,"  said  he,  pausing. 

A  couple  of  steps  more  brought  me  out  of  the  foliage. 

The  light  of  the  morning  lay  cold  and  clear  over  that 
well-known  scene.  The  pavilion  was  but  a  blackened 
wreck;  the  roof  had  fallen  in,  one  of  the  gables  had  fallen 
out;  and,  far  and  near,  the  face  of  the  links  was  cica- 
trised with  little  patches  of  burnt  furze.  Thick  smoke 
still  went  straight  upwards  in  the  windless  air  of  the 
morning,  and  a  great  pile  of  ardent  cinders  filled  the  bare 
walls  of  the  house,  like  coals  in  an  open  grate.  Close 
by  the  islet  a  schooner  yacht  lay  to,  and  a  well-manned 
boat  was  pulling  vigorously  for  the  shore. 

" The  Red  Earl! "  I  cried.  " The  Red  Earl  twelve 
hours  too  late!" 

1 '  Feel  in  your  pocket,  Frank.  Are  you  armed  ?  "  asked 
Northmour. 

I  obeyed  him,  and  I  think  I  must  have  become  deadly 
pale.     My  revolver  had  been  taken  from  me. 

"You  see  I  have  you  in  my  power,"  he  continued. 
"I  disarmed  you  last  night  while  you  were  nursing 
Clara ;  but  this  morning  —  here  —  take  your  pistol.  No 
thanks!  "  he  cried,  holding  up  his  hand.  "  I  do  not  like 
them;  that  is  the  only  way  you  can  annoy  me  now." 

He  began  to  walk  forward  across  the  links  to  meet  the 
boat,  and  I  followed  a  step  or  two  behind.  In  front  of 
the  pavilion  I  paused  to  see  where  Mr.  Huddlestone  had 

281 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

fallen ;  but  there  was  no  sign  of  him,  nor  so  much  as  a 
trace  of  blood. 

"Graden  Floe,"  said  Northmour. 

He  continued  to  advance  till  we  had  come  to  the  head 
of  the  beach. 

"No  farther,  please,"  said  he.  "Would  you  like  to 
take  her  to  Graden  House  ?" 

"  Thank  you,"  replied  I ;  "  I  shall  try  to  get  her  to  the 
minister's  at  Graden  Wester." 

The  prow  of  the  boat  here  grated  on  the  beach,  and  a 
sailor  jumped  ashore  with  a  line  in  his  hand. 

"Wait  a  minute,  lads!"  cried  Northmour;  and  then 
lower  and  to  my  private  ear:  "You  had  better  say  no- 
thing of  all  this  to  her,"  he  added. 

"On  the  contrary!"  I  broke  out,  "she  shall  know 
everything  that  I  can  tell." 

"  You  do  not  understand,"  he  returned,  with  an  air 
of  great  dignity.  "It  will  be  nothing  to  her;  she  ex- 
pects it  of  me.     Good-bye!  "  he  added,  with  a  nod. 

I  offered  him  my  hand. 

"Excuse  me,"  said  he.  "It's  small,  I  know;  but  I 
can't  push  things  quite  so  far  as  that.  I  don't  wish 
any  sentimental  business,  to  sit  by  your  hearth  a  white- 
haired  wanderer,  and  all  that.  Quite  the  contrary :  I  hope 
to  God  I  shall  never  again  clap  eyes  on  either  one  of  you. " 

"Well,  God  bless  you,  Northmour! "  I  said  heartily. 

"Oh,  yes,"  he  returned. 

He  walked  down  the  beach ;  and  the  man  who  was 
ashore  gave  him  an  arm  on  board,  and  then  shoved  off 
and  leaped  into  the  bows  himself.  Northmour  took  the 
tiller;  the  boat  rose  to  the  waves,  and  the  oars  between 
the  thole-pins  sounded  crisp  and  measured  in  the  air. 

282 


THE   PAVILION   ON   THE   LINKS 

They  were  not  yet  half  way  to  the  Red  Earl,  and  I 
was  still  watching  their  progress,  when  the  sun  rose  out 
of  the  sea. 

One  word  more,  and  my  story  is  done.  Years  after, 
Northmour  was  killed  fighting  under  the  colours  of  Gari- 
baldi for  the  liberation  of  Tyrol 


*3 


A  LODGING  FOR  THE  NIGHT 

A  STORY   OF   FRANCIS   VILLON 


A  LODGING  FOR  THE  NIGHT 


IT  was  late  in  November,  1456.  The  snow  fell  over 
Paris  with  rigorous,  relentless  persistence;  some- 
times the  wind  made  a  sally  and  scattered  it  in  flying 
vortices;  sometimes  there  was  a  lull,  and  flake  after 
flake  descended  out  of  the  black  night  air,  silent,  cir- 
cuitous, interminable.  To  poor  people,  looking  up 
under  moist  eyebrows,  it  seemed  a  wonder  where  it  all 
came  from.  Master  Francis  Villon  had  propounded  an 
alternative  that  afternoon,  at  a  tavern  window :  was  it 
only  Pagan  Jupiter  plucking  geese  upon  Olympus  ?  or 
were  the  holy  angels  moulting  ?  He  was  only  a  poor 
Master  of  Arts,  he  went  on ;  and  as  the  question  some- 
what touched  upon  divinity,  he  durst  not  venture  to 
conclude.  A  silly  old  priest  from  Montargis,  who  was 
among  the  company,  treated  the  young  rascal  to  a  bot- 
tle of  wine  in  honour  of  the  jest  and  grimaces  with  which 
it  was  accompanied,  and  swore  on  his  own  white  beard 
that  he  had  been  just  such  another  irreverent  dog  when 
he  was  Villon's  age. 

The  air  was  raw  and  pointed,  but  not  far  below  freez- 
ing; and  the  flakes  were  large,  damp,  and  adhesive. 
The  whole  city  was  sheeted  up.  An  army  might  have 
marched  from  end  to  end  and  not  a  footfall  given  the 

287 


NEW  ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

alarm.  If  there  were  any  belated  birds  in  heaven,  they 
saw  the  island  like  a  large  white  patch,  and  the  bridges 
like  slim  white  spars,  on  the  black  ground  of  the  river. 
High  up  overhead  the  snow  settled  among  the  tracery 
of  the  cathedral  towers.  Many  a  niche  was  drifted  full ; 
many  a  statue  wore  a  long  white  bonnet  on  its  gro- 
tesque or  sainted  head.  The  gargoyles  had  been  trans- 
formed into  great  false  noses,  drooping  towards  the 
point.  The  crockets  were  like  upright  pillows  swollen 
on  one  side.  In  the  intervals  of  the  wind,  there  was  a 
dull  sound  of  dripping  about  the  precincts  of  the  church. 

The  cemetery  of  St.  John  had  taken  its  own  share  of 
the  snow.  All  the  graves  were  decently  covered;  tall 
white  housetops  stood  around  in  grave  array;  worthy 
burghers  were  long  ago  in  bed,  be-nightcapped  like 
their  domiciles;  there  was  no  light  in  all  the  neighbour- 
hood but  a  little  peep  from  a  lamp  that  hung  swinging 
in  the  church  choir,  and  tossed  the  shadows  to  and  fro 
in  time  to  its  oscillations.  The  clock  was  hard  on  ten 
when  the  patrol  went  by  with  halberds  and  a  lantern, 
beating  their  hands;  and  they  saw  nothing  suspicious 
about  the  cemetery  of  St.  John. 

Yet  there  was  a  small  house,  backed  up  against  the 
cemetery  wall,  which  was  still  awake,  and  awake  to 
evil  purpose,  in  that  snoring  district.  There  was  not 
much  to  betray  it  from  without;  only  a  stream  of  warm 
vapor  from  the  chimney-top,  a  patch  where  the  snow 
melted  on  the  roof,  and  a  few  half-obliterated  footprints 
at  the  door.  But  within,  behind  the  shuttered  windows, 
Master  Francis  Villon  the  poet,  and  some  of  the  thievish 
crew  with  whom  he  consorted,  were  keeping  the  night 
alive  and  passing  round  the  bottle. 

388 


A   LODGING   FOR  THE  NIGHT 

A  great  pile  of  living  embers  diffused  a  strong  and 
ruddy  glow  from  the  arched  chimney.  Before  this 
straddled  Dom  Nicolas,  the  Picardy  monk,  with  his 
skirts  picked  up  and  his  fat  legs  bared  to  the  comfort- 
able warmth.  His  dilated  shadow  cut  the  room  in  half ; 
and  the  firelight  only  escaped  on  either  side  of  his  broad 
person,  and  in  a  little  pool  between  his  outspread  feet. 
His  face  had  the  beery,  bruised  appearance  of  the  con- 
tinual drinker's;  it  was  covered  with  a  network  of 
congested  veins,  purple  in  ordinary  circumstances,  but 
now  pale  violet,  for  even  with  his  back  to  the  fire 
the  cold  pinched  him  on  the  other  side.  His  cowl 
had  half  fallen  back,  and  made  a  strange  excrescence 
on  either  side  of  his  bull  neck.  So  he  straddled,  grum- 
bling, and  cut  the  room  in  half  with  the  shadow  of  his 
portly  frame. 

On  the  right,  Villon  and  Guy  Tabary  were  huddled 
together  over  a  scrap  of  parchment;  Villon  making  a 
ballade  which  he  was  to  call  the  "  Ballade  of  Roast  Fish," 
and  Tabary  spluttering  admiration  at  his  shoulder.  The 
poet  was  a  rag  of  a  man,  dark,  little,  and  lean,  with  hol- 
low cheeks  and  thin  black  locks.  He  carried  his  four- 
and-twenty  years  with  feverish  animation.  Greed  had 
made  folds  about  his  eyes,  evil  smiles  had  puckered  his 
mouth.  The  wolf  and  pig  struggled  together  in  his  face. 
It  was  an  eloquent,  sharp,  ugly,  earthly  countenance. 
His  hands  were  small  and  prehensile,  with  fingers  knot- 
ted like  a  cord ;  and  they  were  continually  flickering  in 
front  of  him  in  violent  and  expressive  pantomime.  As 
for  Tabary,  a  broad,  complacent,  admiring  imbecility 
breathed  from  his  squash  nose  and  slobbering  lips :  he 
had  become  a  thief,  just  as  he  might  have  become  the 

289 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

most  decent  of  burgesses,  by  the  imperious  chance  that 
rules  the  lives  of  human  geese  and  human  donkeys. 

At  the  monk's  other  hand,  Montigny  and  Thevenin 
Pensete  played  a  game  of  chance.  About  the  first  there 
clung  some  flavour  of  good  birth  and  training,  as  about 
a  fallen  angel ;  something  long,  lithe,  and  courtly  in  the 
person;  something  aquiline  and  darkling  in  the  face. 
Thevenin,  poor  soul,  was  in  great  feather:  he  had  done 
a  good  stroke  of  knavery  that  afternoon  in  the  Faubourg 
St.  Jacques,  and  all  night  he  had  been  gaining  from 
Montigny.  A  flat  smile  illuminated  his  face;  his  bald 
head  shone  rosily  in  a  garland  of  red  curls;  his  little  pro- 
tuberant stomach  shook  with  silent  chucklings  as  he 
swept  in  his  gains. 

"  Doubles  or  quits  ?"  said  Thevenin. 

Montigny  nodded  grimly. 

"Some  may  prefer  to  dine  in  state"  wrote  Villon, 
' '  On  bread  and  cheese  on  silver  plate.  Or,  or — help  me 
out,  Guido!" 

Tabary  giggled. 

"  Or  parsley  on  a  golden  dish"  scribbled  the  poet. 

The  wind  was  freshening  without;  it  drove  the  snow 
before  it,  and  sometimes  raised  its  voice  in  a  victorious 
whoop,  and  made  sepulchral  grumblings  in  the  chim- 
ney. The  cold  was  growing  sharper  as  the  night  went 
on.  Villon,  protruding  his  lips,  imitated  the  gust  with 
something  between  a  whistle  and  a  groan.  It  was  an 
eerie,  uncomfortable  talent  of  the  poet's,  much  detested 
by  the  Picardy  monk. 

"  Can't  you  hear  it  rattle  in  the  gibbet  ?"  said  Villon. 
"They  are  all  dancing  the  devil's  jig  on  nothing,  up 
there.     You  may  dance,  my  gallants,  you'll  be  none  the 

290 


A   LODGING   FOR  THE  NIGHT 

warmer!  Whew!  what  a  gust!  Down  went  some- 
body just  now !  A  medlar  the  fewer  on  the  three-legged 
medlar-tree!  —  I  say,  Dom  Nicolas,  it'll  be  cold  to-night 
on  the  St.  Denis  Road  ?  "  he  asked. 

Dom  Nicolas  winked  both  his  big  eyes,  and  seemed 
to  choke  upon  his  Adam's  apple.  Montfaucon,  the  great 
grisly  Paris  gibbet,  stood  hard  by  the  St.  Denis  Road, 
and  the  pleasantry  touched  him  on  the  raw.  As  for 
Tabary,  he  laughed  immoderately  over  the  medlars ;  he 
had  never  heard  anything  more  light-hearted;  and  he 
held  his  sides  and  crowed.  Villon  fetched  him  a  fillip 
on  the  nose,  which  turned  his  mirth  into  an  attack  of 
coughing. 

"Oh,  stop  that  row,"  said  Villon,  "and  think  of 
rhymes  to  'fish.'  " 

"  Doubles  or  quits,"  said  Montigny  doggedly. 

"  With  all  my  heart,"  quoth  Thevenin. 

"  Is  there  any  more  in  that  bottle  ?  "  asked  the  monk. 

"Open  another,"  said  Villon.  "How  do  you  ever 
hope  to  fill  that  big  hogshead,  your  body,  with  little 
things  like  bottles  ?  And  how  do  you  expect  to  get  to 
heaven  ?  How  many  angels,  do  you  fancy,  can  be 
spared  to  carry  up  a  single  monk  from  Picardy  ?  Or  do 
you  think  yourself  another  Elias  —  and  they'll  send  the 
coach  for  you  ?  " 

"  Hominibm  impossibile"  replied  the  monk  as  he  filled 
his  glass. 

Tabary  was  in  ecstasies. 

Villon  filliped  his  nose  again. 

"  Laugh  at  my  jokes,  if  you  like,"  he  said. 

"It  was  very  good,"  objected  Tabary. 

Villon  made  a  face  at  him.  "Think  of  rhymes  to 
291 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

1  fish,'  "  he  said.  "  What  have  you  to  do  with  Latin  ? 
You'll  wish  you  knew  none  of  it  at  the  great  assizes, 
when  the  devil  calls  for  Guido  Tabary,  clericus  —  the 
devil  with  the  hump-back  and  red-hot  finger-nails. 
Talking  of  the  devil,"  he  added  in  a  whisper,  "look  at 
Montigny!" 

All  three  peered  covertly  at  the  gamester.  He  did  not 
seem  to  be  enjoying  his  luck.  His  mouth  was  a  little 
to  a  side ;  one  nostril  nearly  shut,  and  the  other  much 
inflated.  The  black  dog  was  on  his  back,  as  people  say, 
in  terrifying  nursery  metaphor;  and  he  breathed  hard 
under  the  gruesome  burden. 

"  He  looks  as  if  he  could  knife  him,"  whispered  Ta- 
bary, with  round  eyes. 

The  monk  shuddered,  and  turned  his  face  and  spread 
his  open  hands  to  the  red  embers.  It  was  the  cold  that 
thus  affected  Dom  Nicolas,  and  not  any  excess  of  moral 
sensibility. 

"Come  now,"  said  Villon — "about  this  ballade. 
How  does  it  run  so  far?"  And  beating  time  with  his 
hand,  he  read  it  aloud  to  Tabary. 

They  were  interrupted  at  the  fourth  rhyme  by  a  brief 
and  fatal  movement  among  the  gamesters.  The  round 
was  completed,  and  Thevenin  was  just  opening  his 
mouth  to  claim  another  victory,  when  Montigny  leaped 
up,  swift  as  an  adder,  and  stabbed  him  to  the  heart. 
The  blow  took  effect  before  he  had  time  to  utter  a  cry, 
before  he  had  time  to  move.  A  tremor  or  two  con- 
vulsed his  frame;  his  hands  opened  and  shut,  his  heels 
rattled  on  the  floor;  then  his  head  rolled  backward  over 
one  shoulder  with  the  eyes  wide  open ;  and  Thevenin 
Pensete's  spirit  had  returned  to  Him  who  made  it. 

292 


A   LODGING    FOR  THE   NIGHT 

Everyone  sprang  to  his  feet;  but  the  business  was 
over  in  two  twos.  The  four  living  fellows  looked  at 
each  other  in  rather  a  ghastly  fashion;  the  dead  man 
contemplating  a  corner  of  the  roof  with  a  singular  and 
ugly  leer. 

' '  My  God !  "  said  Tabary ;  and  he  began  to  pray  in 
Latin. 

Villon  broke  out  into  hysterical  laughter.  He  came  a 
step  forward  and  ducked  a  ridiculous  bow  at  Thevenin, 
and  laughed  still  louder.  Then  he  sat  down  suddenly, 
all  of  a  heap,  upon  a  stool,  and  continued  laughing  bit- 
terly, as  though  he  would  shake  himself  to  pieces. 

Montigny  recovered  his  composure  first. 

''Let's  see  what  he  has  about  him,"  he  remarked,  and 
he  picked  the  dead  man's  pockets  with  a  practised  hand, 
and  divided  the  money  into  four  equal  portions  on  the 
table.     " There's  for  you,"  he  said. 

The  monk  received  his  share  with  a  deep  sigh,  and  a 
single  stealthy  glance  at  the  dead  Thevenin,  who  was 
beginning  to  sink  into  himself  and  topple  sideways  off 
the  chair. 

"We're  all  in  for  it,"  cried  Villon,  swallowing  his 
mirth.  "It's  a  hanging  job  for  every  man  jack  of  us 
that's  here  —  not  to  speak  of  those  who  aren't."  He 
made  a  shocking  gesture  in  the  air  with  his  raised  right 
hand,  and  put  out  his  tongue  and  threw  his  head  on 
one  side,  so  as  to  counterfeit  the  appearance  of  one  who 
has  been  hanged.  Then  he  pocketed  his  share  of  the 
spoil,  and  executed  a  shuffle  with  his  feet  as  if  to  re- 
store the  circulation. 

Tabary  was  the  last  to  help  himself;  he  made  a  dash  at 
the  money,  and  retired  to  the  other  end  of  the  apartment. 

293 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

Montigny  stuck  Thevenin  upright  in  the  chair,  and 
drew  out  the  dagger,  which  was  followed  by  a  jet  of 
blood. 

"  You  fellows  had  better  be  moving,"  he  said,  as  he 
wiped  the  blade  on  his  victim's  doublet. 

"I  think  we  had,"  returned  Villon,  with  a  gulp. 
"Damn  his  fat  head! "  he  broke  out.  M  It  sticks  in  my 
throat  like  phlegm.  What  right  has  a  man  to  have  red 
hair  when  he  is  dead  ?  "  And  he  fell  all  of  a  heap  again 
upon  the  stool,  and  fairly  covered  his  face  with  his 
hands. 

Montigny  and  Dom  Nicolas  laughed  aloud,  even  Ta- 
bary  feebly  chiming  in. 

"Cry  baby,"  said  the  monk. 

"  I  always  said  he  was  a  woman,"  added  Montigny, 
with  a  sneer.  "Sit  up,  can't  you  ?"  he  went  on,  giv- 
ing another  shake  to  the  murdered  body.  "  Tread  out 
that  fire,  Nick!" 

But  Nick  was  better  employed ;  he  was  quietly  tak- 
ing Villon's  purse,  as  the  poet  sat,  limp  and  trembling, 
on  the  stool  where  he  had  been  making  a  ballade  not 
three  minutes  before.  Montigny  and  Tabary  dumbly 
demanded  a  share  of  the  booty,  which  the  monk  silently 
promised  as  he  passed  the  little  bag  into  the  bosom  of 
his  gown.  In  many  ways  an  artistic  nature  unfits  a 
man  for  practical  existence. 

No  sooner  had  the  theft  been  accomplished  than  Vil- 
lon shook  himself,  jumped  to  his  feet,  and  began  help- 
ing to  scatter  and  extinguish  the  embers.  Meanwhile 
Montigny  opened  the  door  and  cautiously  peered  into 
the  street.  The  coast  was  clear;  there  was  no  meddle- 
some patrol  in  sight.     Still  it  was  judged  wiser  to  slip 

294 


A   LODGING   FOR  THE  NIGHT 

out  severally;  and  as  Villon  was  himself  in  a  hurry  to 
escape  from  the  neighbourhood  of  the  dead  Thevenin, 
and  the  rest  were  in  a  still  greater  hurry  to  get  rid  of 
him  before  he  should  discover  the  loss  of  his  money,  he 
was  the  first  by  general  consent  to  issue  forth  into  the 
street. 

The  wind  had  triumphed  and  swept  all  the  clouds 
from  heaven.  Only  a  few  vapours,  as  thin  as  moon- 
light, fleeted  rapidly  across  the  stars.  It  was  bitter  cold ; 
and  by  a  common  optical  effect,  things  seemed  almost 
more  definite  than  in  the  broadest  daylight.  The  sleep- 
ing city  was  absolutely  still ;  a  company  of  white  hoods, 
a  field  full  of  little  alps,  below  the  twinkling  stars.  Vil- 
lon cursed  his  fortune.  Would  it  were  still  snowing  I 
Now,  wherever  he  went,  he  left  an  indelible  trail  behind 
him  on  the  glittering  streets ;  wherever  he  went  he  was 
still  tethered  to  the  house  by  the  cemetery  of  St.  John ; 
wherever  he  went  he  must  weave,  with  his  own  plod- 
ding feet,  the  rope  that  bound  him  to  the  crime  and 
would  bind  him  to  the  gallows.  The  leer  of  the  dead 
man  came  back  to  him  with  a  new  significance.  He 
snapped  his  fingers  as  if  to  pluck  up  his  own  spirits,  and 
choosing  a  street  at  random,  stepped  boldly  forward  in 
the  snow. 

Two  things  preoccupied  him  as  he  went;  the  aspect 
of  the  gallows  at  Montfaucon  in  this  bright,  windy  phase 
of  the  night's  existence,  for  one ;  and  for  another,  the 
look  of  the  dead  man  with  his  bald  head  and  garland 
of  red  curls.  Both  struck  cold  upon  his  heart,  and  he 
kept  quickening  his  pace  as  if  he  could  escape  from  un- 
pleasant thoughts  by  mere  fleetness  of  foot.  Sometimes 
he  looked  back  over  his  shoulder  with  a  sudden  nervous 

295 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

jerk;  but  he  was  the  only  moving  thing  in  the  white 
streets,  except  when  the  wind  swooped  round  a  corner 
and  threw  up  the  snow,  which  was  beginning  to  freeze, 
in  spouts  of  glittering  dust. 

Suddenly  he  saw,  a  long  way  before  him,  a  black 
clump  and  a  couple  of  lanterns.  The  clump  was  in 
motion,  and  the  lanterns  swung  as  though  carried  by 
men  walking.  It  was  a  patrol.  And  though  it  was 
merely  crossing  his  line  of  march  he  judged  it  wiser  to 
get  out  of  eyeshot  as  speedily  as  he  could.  He  was  not 
in  the  humour  to  be  challenged,  and  he  was  conscious 
of  making  a  very  conspicuous  mark  upon  the  snow. 
Just  on  his  left  hand  there  stood  a  great  hotel,  with  some 
turrets  and  a  large  porch  before  the  door ;  it  was  half- 
ruinous,  he  remembered,  and  had  long  stood  empty; 
and  so  he  made  three  steps  of  it,  and  jumped  into  the 
shelter  of  the  porch.  It  was  pretty  dark  inside,  after  the 
glimmer  of  the  snowy  streets,  and  he  was  groping  for- 
ward with  outspread  hands,  when  he  stumbled  over 
some  substance  which  offered  an  indescribable  mixture 
of  resistances,  hard  and  soft,  firm  and  loose.  His  heart 
gave  a  leap,  and  he  sprang  two  steps  back  and  stared 
dreadfully  at  the  obstacle.  Then  he  gave  a  little  laugh 
of  relief.  It  was  only  a  woman,  and  she  dead.  He 
knelt  beside  her  to  make  sure  upon  this  latter  point. 
She  was  freezing  cold,  and  rigid  like  a  stick.  A  little 
ragged  finery  fluttered  in  the  wind  about  her  hair,  and 
her  cheeks  had  been  heavily  rouged  that  same  afternoon. 
Her  pockets  were  quite  empty;  but  in  her  stocking,  un- 
derneath the  garter,  Villon  found  two  of  the  small  coins 
that  went  by  the  name  of  whites.  It  was  little  enough ; 
but  it  was  always  something;  and  the  poet  was  moved 

296 


A   LODGING   FOR  THE  NIGHT 

with  a  deep  sense  of  pathos  that  she  should  have  died 
before  she  had  spent  her  money.  That  seemed  to  him  a 
dark  and  pitiable  mystery ;  and  he  looked  from  the  coins 
in  his  hand  to  the  dead  woman,  and  back  again  to  the 
coins,  shaking  his  head  over  the  riddle  of  man's  life. 
Henry  V.  of  England,  dying  at  Vincennes  just  after  he 
had  conquered  France,  and  this  poor  jade  cut  off  by  a 
cold  draught  in  a  great  man's  doorway,  before  she  had 
time  to  spend  her  couple  of  whites  —  it  seemed  a  cruel 
way  to  carry  on  the  world.  Two  whites  would  have 
taken  such  a  little  while  to  squander;  and  yet  it  would 
have  been  one  more  good  taste  in  the  mouth,  one  more 
smack  of  the  lips,  before  the  devil  got  the  soul,  and  the 
body  was  left  to  birds  and  vermin.  He  would  like  to 
use  all  his  tallow  before  the  light  was  blown  out  and 
the  lantern  broken. 

While  these  thoughts  were  passing  through  his  mind, 
he  was  feeling,  half  mechanically,  for  his  purse.  Sud- 
denly his  heart  stopped  beating;  a  feeling  of  cold  scales 
passed  up  the  back  of  his  legs,  and  a  cold  blow  seemed 
to  fall  upon  his  scalp.  He  stood  petrified  for  a  moment; 
then  he  felt  again  with  one  feverish  movement;  and 
then  his  loss  burst  upon  him,  and  he  was  covered  at 
once  with  perspiration.  To  spendthrifts  money  is  so 
living  and  actual  —  it  is  such  a  thin  veil  between  them 
and  their  pleasures  !  There  is  only  one  limit  to  their 
fortune  —  that  of  time ;  and  a  spendthrift  with  only  a  few 
crowns  is  the  Emperor  of  Rome  until  they  are  spent. 
For  such  a  person  to  lose  his  money  is  to  suffer  the  most 
shocking  reverse,  and  fall  from  heaven  to  hell,  from  all 
to  nothing,  in  a  breath.  And  all  the  more  if  he  has  put 
his  head  in  the  halter  for  it ;    if  he  may  be  hanged  to- 

297 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

morrow  for  that  same  purse,  so  dearly  earned,  so  foolishly 
departed !  Villon  stood  and  cursed ;  he  threw  the  two 
whites  into  the  street;  he  shook  his  fist  at  heaven;  he 
stamped,  and  was  not  horrified  to  find  himself  trampling 
the  poor  corpse.  Then  he  began  rapidly  to  retrace  his 
steps  towards  the  house  beside  the  cemetery.  He  had 
forgotten  all  fear  of  the  patrol,  which  was  long  gone  by 
at  any  rate,  and  had  no  idea  but  that  of  his  lost  purse. 
It  was  in  vain  that  he  looked  right  and  left  upon  the 
snow :  nothing  was  to  be  seen.  He  had  not  dropped  it 
in  the  streets.  Had  it  fallen  in  the  house  ?  He  would 
have  liked  dearly  to  go  in  and  see ;  but  the  idea  of  the 
grisly  occupant  unmanned  him.  And  he  saw  besides, 
as  he  drew  near,  that  their  efforts  to  put  out  the  fire 
had  been  unsuccessful;  on  the  contrary,  it  had  broken 
into  a  blaze,  and  a  changeful  light  played  in  the  chinks 
of  door  and  window,  and  revived  his  terror  for  the 
authorities  and  Paris  gibbet. 

He  returned  to  the  hotel  with  the  porch,  and  groped 
about  upon  the  snow  for  the  money  he  had  thrown  away 
in  his  childish  passion.  But  he  could  only  find  one 
white;  the  other  had  probably  struck  sideways  and 
sunk  deeply  in.  With  a  single  white  in  his  pocket,  all 
his  projects  for  a  rousing  night  in  some  wild  tavern 
vanished  utterly  away.  And  it  was  not  only  pleasure 
that  fled  laughing  from  his  grasp;  positive  discomfort, 
positive  pain,  attacked  him  as  he  stood  ruefully  before 
the  porch.  His  perspiration  had  dried  upon  him;  and 
although  the  wind  had  now  fallen,  a  binding  frost  was 
setting  in  stronger  with  every  hour,  and  he  felt  benumbed 
and  sick  at  heart.  What  was  to  be  done?  Late  as 
was  the  hour,  improbable  as  was  success,  he  would 

398 


A   LODGING   FOR  THE  NIGHT 

try  the  house  of  his  adopted  father,  the  chaplain  of  St. 
Benott. 

He  ran  there  all  the  way,  and  knocked  timidly.  There 
was  no  answer.  He  knocked  again  and  again,  taking 
heart  with  every  stroke ;  and  at  last  steps  were  heard 
approaching  from  within.  A  barred  wicket  fell  open 
in  the  iron-studded  door,  and  emitted  a  gush  of  yellow 
light. 

"  Hold  up  your  face  to  the  wicket,"  said  the  chaplain 
from  within. 

M  It's  only  me,"  whimpered  Villon. 

"Oh,  it's  only  you,  is  it  ? "  returned  the  chaplain ;  and 
he  cursed  him  with  foul  unpriestly  oaths  for  disturbing 
him  at  such  an  hour,  and  bade  him  be  off  to  hell,  where 
he  came  from. 

"My  hands  are  blue  to  the  wrist,"  pleaded  Villon; 
1 '  my  feet  are  dead  and  full  of  twinges ;  my  nose  aches 
with  the  sharp  air;  the  cold  lies  at  my  heart.  I  may  be 
dead  before  morning.  Only  this  once,  father,  and  before 
God,  I  will  never  ask  again!  " 

"  You  should  have  come  earlier,"  said  the  ecclesiastic 
coolly.  "  Young  men  require  a  lesson  now  and  then." 
He  shut  the  wicket  and  retired  deliberately  into  the  in- 
terior of  the  house. 

Villon  was  beside  himself;  he  beat  upon  the  door 
with  his  hands  and  feet,  and  shouted  hoarsely  after  the 
chaplain. 

"  Wormy  old  fox! "  he  cried.  "  If  I  had  my  hand  un- 
der your  twist,  I  would  send  you  flying  headlong  into 
the  bottomless  pit." 

A  door  shut  in  the  interior,  faintly  audible  to  the  poet 
down  long  passages.     He  passed  his  hand  over  his 

299 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

mouth  with  an  oath.  And  then  the  humour  of  the  sit- 
uation struck  him,  and  he  laughed  and  looked  lightly  up 
to  heaven,  where  the  stars  seemed  to  be  winking  over 
his  discomfiture. 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  It  looked  very  like  a  night  in 
the  frosty  streets.  The  idea  of  the  dead  woman  popped 
into  his  imagination,  and  gave  him  a  hearty  fright ;  what 
had  happened  to  her  in  the  early  night  might  very  well 
happen  to  him  before  morning.  And  he  so  young!  and 
with  such  immense  possibilities  of  disorderly  amuse- 
ment before  him !  He  felt  quite  pathetic  over  the  notion 
of  his  own  fate,  as  if  it  had  been  some  one  else's,  and 
made  a  little  imaginative  vignette  of  the  scene  in  the 
morning  when  they  should  find  his  body. 

He  passed  all  his  chances  under  review,  turning  the 
white  between  his  thumb  and  forefinger.  Unfortunately 
he  was  on  bad  terms  with  some  old  friends  who  would 
once  have  taken  pity  on  him  in  such  a  plight.  He  had 
lampooned  them  in  verses ;  he  had  beaten  and  cheated 
them ;  and  yet  now,  when  he  was  in  so  close  a  pinch, 
he  thought  there  was  at  least  one  who  might  perhaps 
relent.  It  was  a  chance.  It  was  worth  trying  at  least, 
and  he  would  go  and  see. 

On  the  way,  two  little  accidents  happened  to  him 
which  coloured  his  musings  in  a  very  different  manner. 
For,  first,  he  fell  in  with  the  track  of  a  patrol,  and  walked 
in  it  for  some  hundred  yards,  although  it  lay  out  of  his 
direction.  And  this  spirited  him  up;  at  least  he  had 
confused  his  trail ;  for  he  was  still  possessed  with  the 
idea  of  people  tracking  him  all  about  Paris  over  the 
snow,  and  collaring  him  next  morning  before  he  was 
awake.    The  other  matter  affected  him  quite  differently. 

300 


A   LODGING   FOR  THE  NIGHT 

He  passed  a  street  corner,  where,  not  so  long  before,  a 
woman  and  her  child  had  been  devoured  by  wolves. 
This  was  just  the  kind  of  weather,  he  reflected,  when 
wolves  might  take  it  into  their  heads  to  enter  Paris 
again ;  and  a  lone  man  in  these  deserted  streets  would 
run  the  chance  of  something  worse  than  a  mere  scare. 
He  stopped  and  looked  upon  the  place  with  an  unpleas- 
ant interest  —  it  was  a  centre  where  several  lanes  inter- 
sected each  other;  and  he  looked  down  them  all,  one 
after  another,  and  held  his  breath  to  listen,  lest  he  should 
detect  some  galloping  black  things  on  the  snow  or  hear 
the  sound  of  howling  between  him  and  the  river.  He 
remembered  his  mother  telling  him  the  story  and  point- 
ing out  the  spot,  while  he  was  yet  a  child.  His  mother! 
If  he  only  knew  where  she  lived,  he  might  make  sure  at 
least  of  shelter.  He  determined  he  would  inquire  upon 
the  morrow ;  nay,  he  would  go  and  see  her  too,  poor 
old  girl !  So  thinking,  he  arrived  at  his  destination  —  his 
last  hope  for  the  night. 

The  house  was  quite  dark,  like  its  neighbours;  and 
yet  after  a  few  taps,  he  heard  a  movement  overhead,  a 
door  opening,  and  a  cautious  voice  asking  who  was 
there.  The  poet  named  himself  in  a  loud  whisper,  and 
waited,  not  without  some  trepidation,  the  result.  Nor 
had  he  to  wait  long.  A  window  was  suddenly  opened, 
and  a  pailful  of  slops  splashed  down  upon  the  doorstep. 
Villon  had  not  been  unprepared  for  something  of  the 
sort,  and  had  put  himself  as  much  in  shelter  as  the  nature 
of  the  porch  admitted ;  but  for  all  that,  he  was  deplorably 
drenched  below  the  waist.  His  hose  began  to  freeze  al- 
most at  once.  Death  from  cold  and  exposure  stared  him 
in  the  face ;  he  remembered  he  was  of  phthisical  ten- 

301 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

dency,  and  began  coughing  tentatively.  But  the  gravity 
of  the  danger  steadied  his  nerves.  He  stopped  a  few 
hundred  yards  from  the  door  where  he  had  been  so 
rudely  used,  and  reflected  with  his  finger  to  his  nose. 
He  could  only  see  one  way  of  getting  a  lodging,  and  that 
was  to  take  it.  He  had  noticed  a  house  not  far  away, 
which  looked  as  if  it  might  be  easily  broken  into,  and 
thither  he  betook  himself  promptly,  entertaining  himself 
on  the  way  with  the  idea  of  a  room  still  hot,  with  a  table 
still  loaded  with  the  remains  of  supper,  where  he  might 
pass  the  rest  of  the  black  hours  and  whence  he  should 
issue,  on  the  morrow,  with  an  armful  of  valuable  plate. 
He  even  considered  on  what  viands  and  what  wines  he 
should  prefer;  and  as  he  was  calling  the  roll  of  his  favour- 
ite dainties,  roast  fish  presented  itself  to  his  mind  with 
an  odd  mixture  of  amusement  and  horror. 

"  I  shall  never  finish  that  ballade,"  he  thought  to  him- 
self ;  and  then,  with  another  shudder  at  the  recollection, 
"Oh,  damn  his  fat  head!"  he  repeated  fervently,  and 
spat  upon  the  snow. 

The  house  in  question  looked  dark  at  first  sight;  but 
as  Villon  made  a  preliminary  inspection  in  search  of  the 
handiest  point  of  attack,  a  little  twinkle  of  light  caught 
his  eye  from  behind  a  curtained  window. 

"  The  devil!  "  he  thought.  "  People  awake  !  Some 
student  or  some  saint,  confound  the  crew !  Can't  they 
get  drunk  and  lie  in  bed  snoring  like  their  neighbours  ! 
What's  the  good  of  curfew,  and  poor  devils  of  bell- 
ringers  jumping  at  a  rope's  end  in  bell-towers  ?  What's 
the  use  of  day,  if  people  sit  up  all  night  ?  The  gripes 
to  them!  "  He  grinned  as  he  saw  where  his  logic  was 
leading  him.     "Every  man  to  his  business,  after  all," 

302 


A   LODGING   FOR  THE  NIGHT 

added  he,  "and  if  they're  awake,  by  the  Lord,  I  may 
come  by  a  supper  honestly  for  once,  and  cheat  the 
devil." 

He  went  boldly  to  the  door  and  knocked  with  an 
assured  hand.  On  both  previous  occasions,  he  had 
knocked  timidly  and  with  some  dread  of  attracting  no- 
tice; but  now  when  he  had  just  discarded  the  thought 
of  a  burglarious  entry,  knocking  at  a  door  seemed  a 
mighty  simple  and  innocent  proceeding.  The  sound  of 
his  blows  echoed  through  the  house  with  thin,  phantas- 
mal reverberations,  as  though  it  were  quite  empty;  but 
these  had  scarcely  died  away  before  a  measured  tread 
drew  near,  a  couple  of  bolts  were  withdrawn,  and  one 
wing  was  opened  broadly,  as  though  no  guile  or  fear  of 
guile  were  known  to  those  within.  A  tall  figure  of  a 
man,  muscular  and  spare,  but  a  little  bent  confronted 
Villon.  The  head  was  massive  in  bulk,  but  finely  sculp- 
tured; the  nose  blunt  at  the  bottom,  but  refining  up- 
ward to  where  it  joined  a  pair  of  strong  and  honest  eye- 
brows; the  mouth  and  eyes  surrounded  with  delicate 
markings,  and  the  whole  face  based  upon  a  thick  white 
beard,  boldly  and  squarely  trimmed.  Seen  as  it  was  by 
the  light  of  a  flickering  hand-lamp,  it  looked  perhaps 
nobler  than  it  had  a  right  to  do;  but  it  was  a  fine  face, 
honourable  rather  than  intelligent,  strong,  simple,  and 
righteous. 

"  You  knock  late,  sir,"  said  the  old  man  in  resonant, 
courteous  tones. 

Villon  cringed  and  brought  up  many  servile  words  of 
apology ;  at  a  crisis  of  this  sort  the  beggar  was  upper- 
most in  him,  and  the  man  of  genius  hid  his  head  with 
confusion. 

303 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

'*  You  are  cold,"  repeated  the  old  man,  "and  hungry  ? 
Well,  step  in."  And  he  ordered  him  into  the  house  with 
a  noble  enough  gesture. 

"  Some  great  seigneur,"  thought  Villon,  as  his  host, 
setting  down  the  lamp  on  the  flagged  pavement  of  the 
entry,  shot  the  bolts  once  more  into  their  places. 

"You  will  pardon  me  if  I  go  in  front,"  he  said,  when 
this  was  done ;  and  he  preceded  the  poet  upstairs  into 
a  large  apartment,  warmed  with  a  pan  of  charcoal  and 
lit  by  a  great  lamp  hanging  from  the  roof.  It  was  very 
bare  of  furniture :  only  some  gold  plate  on  a  sideboard ; 
some  folios ;  and  a  stand  of  armour  between  the  win- 
dows. Some  smart  tapestry  hung  upon  the  walls,  rep- 
resenting the  crucifixion  of  our  Lord  in  one  piece,  and 
in  another  a  scene  of  shepherds  and  shepherdesses  by  a 
running  stream.  Over  the  chimney  was  a  shield  of 
arms. 

"  Will  you  seat  yourself,"  said  the  old  man,  "and  for- 
give me  if  I  leave  you  ?  I  am  alone  in  my  house 
to-night,  and  if  you  are  to  eat  I  must  forage  for  you 
myself." 

No  sooner  was  his  host  gone  than  Villon  leaped  from 
the  chair  on  which  he  had  just  seated  himself,  and  be- 
gan examining  the  room,  with  the  stealth  and  passion 
of  a  cat.  He  weighed  the  gold  flagons  in  his  hand, 
opened  all  the  folios,  and  investigated  the  arms  upon 
the  shield,  and  the  stuff  with  which  the  seats  were  lined. 
He  raised  the  window  curtains,  and  saw  that  the  win- 
dows were  set  with  rich  stained  glass  in  figures,  so  far 
as  he  could  see,  of  martial  import.  Then  he  stood  in  the 
middle  of  the  room,  drew  a  long  breath,  and  retaining 
it  with  puffed  cheeks,  looked  round  and  round  him, 

304 


A  LODGING   FOR  THE  NIGHT 

turning  on  his  heels,  as  if  to  impress  every  feature  of  the 
apartment  on  his  memory. 

"  Seven  pieces  of  plate,"  he  said.  "  If  there  had  been 
ten,  I  would  have  risked  it.  A  fine  house,  and  a  fine 
old  master,  so  help  me  all  the  saints ! " 

And  just  then,  hearing  the  old  man's  tread  returning 
along  the  corridor,  he  stole  back  to  his  chair,  and  began 
humbly  toasting  his  wet  legs  before  the  charcoal  pan. 

His  entertainer  had  a  plate  of  meat  in  one  hand  and  a 
jug  of  wine  in  the  other.  He  set  down  the  plate  upon  the 
table,  motioning  Villon  to  draw  in  his  chair,  and  going  to 
the  sideboard,  brought  back  two  goblets  which  he  filled. 

"I  drink  your  better  fortune,"  he  said,  gravely  touch- 
ing Villon's  cup  with  his  own. 

"To  our  better  acquaintance,"  said  the  poet,  growing 
bold.  A  mere  man  of  the  people  would  have  been 
awed  by  the  courtesy  of  the  old  seigneur,  but  Villon 
was  hardened  in  that  matter;  he  had  made  mirth  for 
great  lords  before  now,  and  found  them  as  black  rascals 
as  himself.  And  so  he  devoted  himself  to  the  viands 
with  a  ravenous  gusto,  while  the  old  man,  leaning  back- 
ward, watched  him  with  steady,  curious  eyes. 

"You  have  blood  on  your  shoulder,  my  man,"  he  said. 

Montigny  must  have  laid  his  wet  right  hand  upon 
him  as  he  left  the  house.  He  cursed  Montigny  in  his 
heart. 

"It  was  none  of  my  shedding,"  he  stammered. 

"  I  had  not  supposed  so,"  returned  his  host  quietly. 
"A  brawl?" 

"Well,  something  of  that  sort,"  Villon  admitted  with 
a  quaver. 

"  Perhaps  a  fellow  murdered  ?" 
305 


NEW   ARABIAN    NIGHTS 

"Oh,  no,  not  murdered,"  said  the  poet,  more  and 
more  confused.  "It  was  all  fair  play  —  murdered  by 
accident.  I  had  no  hand  in  it,  God  strike  me  dead  ! " 
he  added  fervently. 

"  One  rogue  the  fewer,  I  dare  say,"  observed  the  mas- 
ter of  the  house. 

"  You  may  dare  to  say  that,"  agreed  Villon,  infinitely 
relieved.  "  As  big  a  rogue  as  there  is  between  here 
and  Jerusalem.  He  turned  up  his  toes  like  a  lamb.  But 
it  was  a  nasty  thing  to  look  at.  I  dare  say  you've  seen 
dead  men  in  your  time,  my  lord  ?  "  he  added,  glancing 
at  the  armour. 

"Many,"  said  the  old  man.  "I  have  followed  the 
wars,  as  you  imagine." 

Villon  laid  down  his  knife  and  fork,  which  he  had  just 
taken  up  again. 

"Were  any  of  them  bald  ?"  he  asked. 

"  Oh  yes,  and  with  hair  as  white  as  mine." 

' '  I  don't  think  I  should  mind  the  white  so  much, "  said 
Villon.  "His  was  red."  And  he  had  a  return  of  his 
shuddering  and  tendency  to  laughter,  which  he  drowned 
with  a  great  draught  of  wine.  "I'm  a  little  put  out 
when  I  think  of  it,"  he  went  on.  "I  knew  him  — 
damn  him  !  And  then  the  cold  gives  a  man  fancies  — 
or  the  fancies  give  a  man  cold,  I  don't  know  which." 

"  Have  you  any  money  ?"  asked  the  old  man. 

"I  have  one  white,"  returned  the  poet,  laughing. 
"  I  got  it  out  of  a  dead  jade's  stocking  in  a  porch.  She 
was  as  dead  as  Caesar,  poor  wench,  and  as  cold  as  a 
church,  with  bits  of  ribbon  sticking  in  her  hair.  This 
is  a  hard  world  in  winter  for  wolves  and  wenches  and 
poor  rogues  like  me." 

306 


A   LODGING   FOR  THE  NIGHT 

"I,"  said  the  old  man,  "am  Enguerrand  de  la  Feuil- 
lee,  seigneur  de  Brisetout,  bailly  du  Patatrac.  Who  and 
what  may  you  be?" 

Villon  rose  and  made  a  suitable  reverence.  "I  am 
called  Francis  Villon,"  he  said,  "a  poor  Master  of  Arts 
of  this  university.  I  know  some  Latin,  and  a  deal  of 
vice.  I  can  make  chansons,  ballades,  lais,  virelais,  and 
roundels,  and  I  am  very  fond  of  wine.  I  was  born  in  a 
garret,  and  I  shall  not  improbably  die  upon  the  gallows. 
I  may  add,  my  lord,  that  from  this  night  forward  I  am 
your  lordship's  very  obsequious  servant  to  command." 

'  *  No  servant  of  mine, "  said  the  knight ;  ' '  my  guest  for 
this  evening,  and  no  more." 

M  A  very  grateful  guest,"  said  Villon  politely,  and  he 
drank  in  dumb  show  to  his  entertainer. 

"You  are  shrewd,"  began  the  old  man,  tapping  his 
forehead,  "  very  shrewd;  you  have  learning;  you  are  a 
clerk ;  and  yet  you  take  a  small  piece  of  money  off  a 
dead  woman  in  the  street.     Is  it  not  a  kind  of  theft  ?  " 

"  It  is  a  kind  of  theft  much  practised  in  the  wars,  my 
lord." 

"  The  wars  are  the  field  of  honour,"  returned  the  old 
man  proudly.  "  There  a  man  plays  his  life  upon  the 
cast;  he  fights  in  the  name  of  his  lord  the  king,  his  Lord 
God,  and  all  their  lordships  the  holy  saints  and  angels." 

' '  Put  it, "  said  Villon,  ' '  that  I  were  really  a  thief,  should 
I  not  play  my  life  also,  and  against  heavier  odds  ?" 

"  For  gain  but  not  for  honour." 

"Gain?"  repeated  Villon  with  a  shrug.  "Gain  ! 
The  poor  fellow  wants  supper,  and  takes  it.  So  does 
the  soldier  in  a  campaign.  Why,  what  are  all  these 
requisitions  we  hear  so  much  about  ?    If  they  are  not 

307 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

gain  to  those  who  take  them,  they  are  loss  enough  to 
the  others.  The  men-at-arms  drink  by  a  good  fire 
while  the  burgher  bites  his  nails  to  buy  them  wine  and 
wood.  I  have  seen  a  good  many  ploughmen  swinging 
on  trees  about  the  country ;  ay,  I  have  seen  thirty  on  one 
elm,  and  a  very  poor  figure  they  made;  and  when  I 
asked  someone  how  all  these  came  to  be  hanged,  I  was 
told  it  was  because  they  could  not  scrape  together 
enough  crowns  to  satisfy  the  men-at-arms." 

"  These  things  are  a  necessity  of  war,  which  the  low- 
born must  endure  with  constancy.  It  is  true  that  some 
captains  drive  overhard;  there  are  spirits  in  every  rank 
not  easily  moved  by  pity ;  and  indeed  many  follow  arms 
who  are  no  better  than  brigands." 

"You  see,"  said  the  poet,  "you  cannot  separate  the 
soldier  from  the  brigand ;  and  what  is  a  thief  but  an  iso- 
lated brigand  with  circumspect  manners  ?  I  steal  a 
couple  of  mutton  chops,  without  so  much  as  disturbing 
people's  sleep ;  the  farmer  grumbles  a  bit,  but  sups  none 
the  less  wholesomely  on  what  remains.  You  come  up 
blowing  gloriously  on  a  trumpet,  take  away  the  whole 
sheep,  and  beat  the  farmer  pitifully  into  the  bargain.  I 
have  no  trumpet;  I  am  only  Tom,  Dick,  or  Harry;  I  am 
a  rogue  and  a  dog,  and  hanging's  too  good  for  me  — 
with  all  my  heart ;  but  just  ask  the  farmer  which  of  us 
he  prefers,  just  find  out  which  of  us  he  lies  awake  to 
curse  on  cold  nights." 

"Look  at  us  two,"  said  his  lordship.  "I  am  old, 
strong,  and  honoured.  If  I  were  turned  from  my  house 
to-morrow,  hundreds  would  be  proud  to  shelter  me. 
Poor  people  would  go  out  and  pass  the  night  in  the 
streets  with  their  children,   if  I  merely  hinted  that  I 

308 


A   LODGING   FOR  THE  NIGHT 

wished  to  be  alone.  And  I  find  you  up,  wandering 
homeless,  and  picking  farthings  off  dead  women  by  the 
wayside!  I  fear  no  man  and  nothing;  I  have  seen  you 
tremble  and  lose  countenance  at  a  word.  I  wait  God's 
summons  contentedly  in  my  own  house,  or,  if  it  please 
the  king  to  call  me  out  again,  upon  the  field  of  battle. 
You  look  for  the  gallows ;  a  rough,  swift  death,  with- 
out hope  or  honour.  Is  there  no  difference  between 
these  two  ?  " 

"  As  far  as  to  the  moon,"  Villon  acquiesced.  "But 
if  I  had  been  born  lord  of  Brisetout,  and  you  had  been 
the  poor  scholar  Francis,  would  the  difference  have  been 
any  the  less  ?  Should  not  I  have  been  warming  my 
knees  at  this  charcoal  pan,  and  would  not  you  have 
been  groping  for  farthings  in  the  snow  ?  Should  not  I 
have  been  the  soldier,  and  you  the  thief?" 

" A  thief? "  cried  the  old  man.  "la  thief !  If  you 
understood  your  words,  you  would  repent  them." 

Villon  turned  out  his  hands  with  a  gesture  of  inimi- 
table impudence.  "If  your  lordship  had  done  me  the 
honour  to  follow  my  argument!  "  he  said. 

"  I  do  you  too  much  honour  in  submitting  to  your 
pi  esence, "  said  the  knight.  ' '  Learn  to  curb  your  tongue 
when  you  speak  with  old  and  honourable  men,  or  some 
one  hastier  than  I  may  reprove  you  in  a  sharper  fashion." 
And  he  rose  and  paced  the  lower  end  of  the  apartment, 
struggling  with  anger  and  antipathy.  Villon  surrepti- 
tiously refilled  his  cup,  and  settled  himself  more  com- 
fortably in  the  chair,  crossing  his  knees  and  leaning  his 
head  upon  one  hand  and  the  elbow  against  the  back  of 
the  chair.  He  was  now  replete  and  warm ;  and  he  was 
in  nowise  frightened  for  his  host,  having  gauged  him 

309 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

as  justly  as  was  possible  between  two  such  different 
characters.  The  night  was  far  spent,  and  in  a  very 
comfortable  fashion  after  all ;  and  he  felt  morally  certain 
of  a  safe  departure  on  the  morrow. 

"Tell  me  one  thing,"  said  the  old  man,  pausing  in 
his  walk.     "Are  you  really  a  thief?  " 

"I  claim  the  sacred  rights  of  hospitality,"  returned 
the  poet.     "My  lord,  I  am." 

"You  are  very  young,"  the  knight  continued. 

"I  should  never  have  been  so  old,"  replied  Villon, 
showing  his  fingers,  "if  I  had  not  helped  myself  with 
these  ten  talents.  They  have  been  my  nursing  mothers 
and  my  nursing  fathers." 

"You  may  still  repent  and  change." 

' '  I  repent  daily, "  said  the  poet.  ' '  There  are  few  peo- 
ple more  given  to  repentance  than  poor  Francis.  As  for 
change,  let  somebody  change  my  circumstances.  A 
man  must  continue  to  eat,  if  it  were  only  that  he  may 
continue  to  repent." 

"The  change  must  begin  in  the  heart,"  returned  the 
old  man  solemnly. 

"My  dear  lord,"  answered  Villon,  "do  you  really 
fancy  that  I  steal  for  pleasure  ?  I  hate  stealing,  like  any 
other  piece  of  work  or  of  danger.  My  teeth  chatter 
when  I  see  a  gallows.  But  I  must  eat,  I  must  drink,  I 
must  mix  in  society  of  some  sort.  What  the  devil! 
Man  is  not  a  solitary  animal  —  Cut  Deus  fceminam  tradit. 
Make  me  king's  pantler  —  make  me  abbot  of  St.  Denis; 
make  me  bailly  of  the  Patatrac;  and  then  I  shall  be 
changed  indeed.  But  as  long  as  you  leave  me  the  poor 
scholar  Francis  Villon,  without  a  farthing,  why,  of 
course,  I  remain  the  same." 

310 


A   LODGING   FOR  THE   NIGHT 

M  The  grace  of  God  is  all-powerful." 

"1  should  be  a  heretic  to  question  it,"  said  Francis. 
"  It  has  made  you  lord  of  Brisetout  and  bailly  of  the 
Patatrac;  it  has  given  me  nothing  but  the  quick  wits 
under  my  hat  and  these  ten  toes  upon  my  hands.  May 
I  help  myself  to  wine  ?  I  thank  you  respectfully.  By 
God's  grace,  you  have  a  very  superior  vintage." 

The  lord  of  Brisetout  walked  to  and  fro  with  his  hands 
behind  his  back.  Perhaps  he  was  not  yet  quite  settled  in 
his  mind  about  the  parallel  between  thieves  and  soldiers; 
perhaps  Villon  had  interested  him  by  some  cross-thread 
of  sympathy;  perhaps  his  wits  were  simply  muddled 
by  so  much  unfamiliar  reasoning;  but  whatever  the 
cause,  he  somehow  yearned  to  convert  the  young  man 
to  a  better  way  of  thinking,  and  could  not  make  up  his 
mind  to  drive  him  forth  again  into  the  street. 

"There  is  something  more  than  I  can  understand  in 
this,"  he  said  at  length.  "Your  mouth  is  full  of  sub- 
tleties, and  the  devil  has  led  you  very  far  astray;  but 
the  devil  is  only  a  very  weak  spirit  before  God's  truth, 
and  all  his  subtleties  vanish  at  a  word  of  true  honour, 
like  darkness  at  morning.  Listen  to  me  once  more.  I 
learned  long  ago  that  a  gentleman  should  live  chival- 
rously and  lovingly  to  God,  and  the  king,  and  his  lady; 
and  though  I  have  seen  many  strange  things  done,  I  have 
still  striven  to  command  my  ways  upon  that  rule.  It  is 
not  only  written  in  all  noble  histories,  but  in  every  man's 
heart,  if  he  will  take  care  to  read.  You  speak  of  food 
and  wine,  and  I  know  very  well  that  hunger  is  a  diffi- 
cult trial  to  endure ;  but  you  do  not  speak  of  other  wants ; 
you  say  nothing  of  honour,  of  faith  to  God  and  other 
men,  of  courtesy,  of  love  without  reproach.     It  may  be 

311 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

that  I  am  not  very  wise  —  and  yet  I  think  I  am  —  but 
you  seem  to  me  like  one  who  has  lost  his  way  and  made 
a  great  error  in  life.  You  are  attending  to  the  little 
wants,  and  you  have  totally  forgotten  the  great  and 
only  real  ones,  like  a  man  who  should  be  doctoring 
toothache  on  the  Judgment  Day.  For  such  things  as 
honour  and  love  and  faith  are  not  only  nobler  than  food 
and  drink,  but  indeed  I  think  we  desire  them  more,  and 
suffer  more  sharply  for  their  absence.  I  speak  to  you 
as  I  think  you  will  most  easily  understand  me.  Are  you 
not,  while  careful  to  fill  your  belly,  disregarding  another 
appetite  in  your  heart,  which  spoils  the  pleasure  of  your 
life  and  keeps  you  continually  wretched  ?  " 

Villon  was  sensibly  nettled  under  all  this  sermoniz- 
ing. "You  think  I  have  no  sense  of  honour!  "  he  cried. 
"I'm  poor  enough,  God  knows!  It's  hard  to  see  rich 
people  with  their  gloves,  and  you  blowing  in  your 
hands.  An  empty  belly  is  a  bitter  thing,  although  you 
speak  so  lightly  of  it.  If  you  had  had  as  many  as  I, 
perhaps  you  would  change  your  tune.  Any  way  I'm  a 
thief — make  the  most  of  that — but  I'm  not  a  devil  from 
hell,  God  strike  me  dead.  I  would  have  you  to  know 
I've  an  honour  of  my  own,  as  good  as  yours,  though  I 
don't  prate  about  it  all  day  long,  as  if  it  was  a  God's 
miracle  to  have  any.  It  seems  quite  natural  to  me;  I 
keep  it  in  its  box  till  it's  wanted.  Why  now,  look  you 
here,  how  long  have  I  been  in  this  room  with  you  ? 
Did  you  not  tell  me  you  were  alone  in  the  house  ?  Look 
at  your  gold  plate !  You're  strong,  if  you  like,  but  you're 
old  and  unarmed,  and  I  have  my  knife.  What  did  I 
want  but  a  jerk  of  the  elbow  and  here  would  have  been 
you  with  the  cold  steel  in  your  bowels,  and  there  would 

312 


A   LODGING   FOR  THE  NIGHT 

have  been  me,  linking  in  the  streets,  with  an  armful  of 
golden  cups !  Did  you  suppose  I  hadn't  wit  enough  to 
see  that  ?  And  I  scorned  the  action.  There  are  your 
damned  goblets,  as  safe  as  in  a  church ;  there  are  you, 
with  your  heart  ticking  as  good  as  new ;  and  here  am 
I,  ready  to  go  out  again  as  poor  as  I  came  in,  with  my 
one  white  that  you  threw  in  my  teeth !  And  you  think 
I  have  no  sense  of  honour — God  strike  me  dead!" 

The  old  man  stretched  out  his  right  arm.  "I  will  tell 
you  what  you  are,"  he  said.  ''You  are  a  rogue,  my 
man,  an  impudent  and  black-hearted  rogue  and  vaga- 
bond. I  have  passed  an  hour  with  you.  Oh !  believe 
me,  I  feel  myself  disgraced !  And  you  have  eaten  and 
drunk  at  my  table.  But  now  I  am  sick  at  your  presence ; 
the  day  has  come,  and  the  night-bird  should  be  off  to 
his  roost.     Will  you  go  before,  or  after?" 

"Which  you  please,"  returned  the  poet,  rising.  "I 
believe  you  to  be  strictly  honourable."  He  thoughtfully 
emptied  his  cup.  "  I  wish  I  could  add  you  were  intelli- 
gent," he  went  on,  knocking  on  his  head  with  his  knuck- 
les.    "Age!  age!  the  brains  stiff  and  rheumatic." 

The  old  man  preceded  him  from  a  point  of  self-respect. 
Villon  followed,  whistling,  with  his  thumbs  in  his  girdle. 

"God  pity  you, "  said  the  lord  of  Brisetout  at  the  door. 

"Good-bye,  papa,"  returned  Villon  with  a  yawn. 
"  Many  thanks  for  the  cold  mutton." 

The  door  closed  behind  him.  The  dawn  was  breaking 
over  the  white  roofs.  A  chill,  uncomfortable  morning 
ushered  in  the  day.  Villon  stood  and  heartily  stretched 
himself  in  the  middle  of  the  road. 

1  'A  very  dull  old  gentleman, "  he  thought.  ' '  I  wonder 
what  his  goblets  may  be  worth." 

313 


THE  SIRE  DE  MALETROIT'S  DOOR 


THE  SIRE  DE  MALETROIT'S  DOOR 


DENIS  DE  BEAULIEU  was  not  yet  two-and-twenty, 
but  he  counted  himself  a  grown  man,  and  a  very 
accomplished  cavalier  into  the  bargain.  Lads  were  early 
formed  in  that  rough,  warfaring  epoch ;  and  when  one 
has  been  in  a  pitched  battle  and  a  dozen  raids,  has  killed 
one's  man  in  an  honourable  fashion,  and  knows  a  thing 
or  two  of  strategy  and  mankind,  a  certain  swagger 
in  the  gait  is  surely  to  be  pardoned.  He  had  put 
up  his  horse  with  due  care,  and  supped  with  due  de- 
liberation ;  and  then,  in  a  very  agreeable  frame  of  mind, 
went  out  to  pay  a  visit  in  the  gray  of  the  evening.  It 
was  not  a  very  wise  proceeding  on  the  young  man's 
part.  He  would  have  done  better  to  remain  beside  the 
fire  or  go  decently  to  bed.  For  the  town  was  full  of  the 
troops  of  Burgundy  and  England  under  a  mixed  com- 
mand; and  though  Denis  was  there  on  safe-conduct,  his 
safe-conduct  was  like  to  serve  him  little  on  a  chance 
encounter. 

It  was  September,  1429;  the  weather  had  fallen  sharp ; 
a  flighty  piping  wind,  laden  with  showers,  beat  about 
the  township  ;  and  the  dead  leaves  ran  riot  along 
the  streets.  Here  and  there  a  window  was  already 
lighted  up ;  and  the  noise  of  men-at-arms  making  merry 

317 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

over  supper  within,  came  forth  in  fits  and  was  swallowed 
up  and  carried  away  by  the  wind.  The  night  fell  swiftly ; 
the  flag  of  England,  fluttering  on  the  spire-top,  grew 
ever  fainter  and  fainter  against  the  flying  clouds  —  a  black 
speck  like  a  swallow  in  the  tumultuous,  leaden  chaos  of 
the  sky.  As  the  night  fell  the  wind  rose,  and  began  to 
hoot  under  archways  and  roar  amid  the  tree-tops  in  the 
valley  below  the  town. 

Denis  de  Beaulieu  walked  fast  and  was  soon  knocking 
at  his  friend's  door;  but  though  he  promised  himself  to 
stay  only  a  little  while  and  make  an  early  return,  his  wel- 
come was  so  pleasant,  and  he  found  so  much  to  delay 
him,  that  it  was  already  long  past  midnight  before  he 
said  good-bye  upon  the  threshold.  The  wind  had  fallen 
again  in  the  meanwhile ;  the  night  was  as  black  as  the 
grave;  not  a  star,  nor  a  glimmer  of  moonshine,  slipped 
through  the  canopy  of  cloud.  Denis  was  ill-acquainted 
with  the  intricate  lanes  of  Chateau  Landon;  even  by 
daylight  he  had  found  some  trouble  in  picking  his  way  ; 
and  in  this  absolute  darkness  he  soon  lost  it  altogether. 
He  was  certain  of  one  thing  only  —  to  keep  mounting 
the  hill;  for  his  friend's  house  lay  at  the  lower  end,  or 
tail,  of  Chateau  Landon,  while  the  inn  was  up  at  the 
head,  under  the  great  church  spire.  With  this  clue  to  go 
upon  he  stumbled  and  groped  forward,  now  breathing 
more  freely  in  open  places  where  there  was  a  good  slice 
of  sky  overhead,  now  feeling  along  the  wall  in  stifling 
closes.  It  is  an  eerie  and  mysterious  position  to  be  thus 
submerged  in  opaque  blackness  in  an  almost  unknown 
town.  The  silence  is  terrifying  in  its  possibilities.  The 
touch  of  cold  window  bars  to  the  exploring  hand  startles 
the  man  like  the  touch  of  a  toad ;  the  inequalities  of  the 

3.8 


THE  SIRE   DE   MALETROIT'S   DOOR 

pavement  shake  his  heart  into  his  mouth;  a  piece  of 
denser  darkness  threatens  an  ambuscade  or  a  chasm  in 
the  pathway ;  and  where  the  air  is  brighter,  the  houses 
put  on  strange  and  bewildering  appearances,  as  if  to 
lead  him  farther  from  his  way.  For  Denis,  who  had  to 
regain  his  inn  without  attracting  notice,  there  was  real 
danger  as  well  as  mere  discomfort  in  the  walk ;  and  he 
went  warily  and  boldly  at  once,  and  at  every  corner 
paused  to  make  an  observation. 

He  had  been  for  some  time  threading  a  lane  so  narrow 
that  he  could  touch  a  wall  with  either  hand  when  it  be- 
gan to  open  out  and  go  sharply  downward.  Plainly 
this  lay  no  longer  in  the  direction  of  his  inn ;  but  the 
hope  of  a  little  more  light  tempted  him  forward  to  rec- 
onnoitre. The  lane  ended  in  a  terrace  with  a  bartizan 
wall,  which  gave  an  outlook  between  high  houses,  as 
out  of  an  embrasure,  into  the  valley  lying  dark  and 
formless  several  hundred  feet  below.  Denis  looked 
down,  and  could  discern  a  few  tree-tops  waving  and  a 
single  speck  of  brightness  where  the  river  ran  across  a 
weir.  The  weather  was  clearing  up,  and  the  sky  had 
lightened,  so  as  to  show  the  outline  of  the  heavier 
clouds  and  the  dark  margin  of  the  hills.  By  the  uncer- 
tain glimmer,  the  house  on  his  left  hand  should  be  a 
place  of  some  pretensions;  it  was  surmounted  by  several 
pinnacles  and  turret-tops;  the  round  stern  of  a  chapel, 
with  a  fringe  of  flying  buttresses,  projected  boldly  from 
the  main  block;  and  the  door  was  sheltered  under  a 
deep  porch  carved  with  figures  and  overhung  by  two 
long  gargoyles.  The  windows  of  the  chapel  gleamed 
through  their  intricate  tracery  with  a  light  as  of  many 
tapers,  and  threw  out  the  buttresses  and  the  peaked 

3»9 


NEW  ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

roof  in  a  more  intense  blackness  against  the  sky.  It 
was  plainly  the  hotel  of  some  great  family  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood ;  and  as  it  reminded  Denis  of  a  town  house 
of  his  own  at  Bourges,  he  stood  for  some  time  gazing 
up  at  it  and  mentally  gauging  the  skill  of  the  architects 
and  the  consideration  of  the  two  families. 

There  seemed  to  be  no  issue  to  the  terrace  but  the 
lane  by  which  he  had  reached  it;  he  could  only  retrace 
his  steps,  but  he  had  gained  some  notion  of  his  where- 
abouts, and  hoped  by  this  means  to  hit  the  main  thor- 
oughfare and  speedily  regain  the  inn.  He  was  reckon- 
ing without  that  chapter  of  accidents  which  was  to 
make  this  night  memorable  above  all  others  in  his  career; 
for  he  had  not  gone  back  above  a  hundred  yards  before 
he  saw  a  light  coming  to  meet  him,  and  heard  loud 
voices  speaking  together  in  the  echoing  narrows  of  the 
lane.  It  was  a  party  of  men-at-arms  going  the  night 
round  with  torches.  Denis  assured  himself  that  they 
had  all  been  making  free  with  the  wine-bowl,  and  were 
in  no  mood  to  be  particular  about  safe-conducts  or  the 
niceties  of  chivalrous  war.  It  was  as  like  as  not  that  they 
would  kill  him  like  a  dog  and  leave  him  where  he  fell. 
The  situation  was  inspiriting  but  nervous.  Their  own 
torches  would  conceal  him  from  sight,  he  reflected ;  and 
he  hoped  that  they  would  drown  the  noise  of  his  foot- 
steps with  their  own  empty  voices.  If  he  were  but 
fleet  and  silent,  he  might  evade  their  notice  altogether. 

Unfortunately,  as  he  turned  to  beat  a  retreat,  his  foot 
rolled  upon  a  pebble;  he  fell  against  the  wall  with  an 
ejaculation,  and  his  sword  rang  loudly  on  the  stones. 
Two  or  three  voices  demanded  who  went  there  —  some 
in  French,  some  in  English ;  but  Denis  made  no  reply, 

320 


THE  SIRE   DE  MALETROIT'S   DOOR 

and  ran  the  faster  down  the  lane.  Once  upon  the  ter- 
race, he  paused  to  look  back.  They  still  kept  calling 
after  him,  and  just  then  began  to  double  the  pace  in 
pursuit,  with  a  considerable  clank  of  armour,  and  great 
tossing  of  the  torchlight  to  and  fro  in  the  narrow  jaws 
of  the  passage. 

Denis  cast  a  look  around  and  darted  into  the  porch. 
There  he  might  escape  observation,  or  —  if  that  were 
too  much  to  expect  —  was  in  a  capital  posture  whether 
for  parley  or  defence.  So  thinking,  he  drew  his  sword 
and  tried  to  set  his  back  against  the  door.  To  his  sur- 
prise, it  yielded  behind  his  weight ;  and  though  he  turned 
in  a  moment,  continued  to  swing  back  on  oiled  and 
noiseless  hinges,  until  it  stood  wide  open  on  a  black  in- 
terior. When  things  fall  out  opportunely  for  the  person 
concerned,  he  is  not  apt  to  be  critical  about  the  how  or 
why,  his  own  immediate  personal  convenience  seeming 
a  sufficient  reason  for  the  strangest  oddities  and  revolu- 
tions in  our  sublunary  things;  and  so  Denis,  without  a 
moment's  hesitation,  stepped  within  and  partly  closed 
the  door  behind  him  to  conceal  his  place  of  refuge.  No- 
thing was  further  from  his  thoughts  than  to  close  it  al- 
together; but  for  some  inexplicable  reason  —  perhaps 
by  a  spring  or  a  weight  —  the  ponderous  mass  of  oak 
whipped  itself  out  of  his  fingers  and  clanked  to,  with  a 
formidable  rumble  and  a  noise  like  the  falling  of  an  au- 
tomatic bar. 

The  round,  at  that  very  moment,  debouched  upon  the 
terrace  and  proceeded  to  summon  him  with  shouts  and 
curses.  He  heard  them  ferreting  in  the  dark  corners; 
the  stock  of  a  lance  even  rattled  along  the  outer  surface 
of  the  door  behind  which  he  stood;  but  these  gentlemen 

321 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

were  in  too  high  a  humour  to  be  long  delayed,  and  soon 
made  offdown  a  corkscrew  pathway  which  had  escaped 
Denis's  observation,  and  passed  out  of  sight  and  hearing 
along  the  battlements  of  the  town. 

Denis  breathed  again.  He  gave  them  a  few  minutes' 
grace  for  fear  of  accidents,  and  then  groped  about  for 
some  means  of  opening  the  door  and  slipping  forth 
again.  The  inner  surface  was  quite  smooth,  not  a 
handle,  not  a  moulding,  not  a  projection  of  any  sort. 
He  got  his  finger-nails  round  the  edges  and  pulled,  but 
the  mass  was  immovable.  He  shook  it,  it  was  as  firm 
as  a  rock.  Denis  de  Beaulieu  frowned  and  gave  vent  to 
a  little  noiseless  whistle.  What  ailed  the  door  ?  he  won- 
dered. Why  was  it  open  ?  How  came  it  to  shut  so 
easily  and  so  effectually  after  him  ?  There  was  some- 
thing obscure  and  underhand  about  all  this,  that  was 
little  to  the  young  man's  fancy.  It  looked  like  a  snare; 
and  yet  who  could  suppose  a  snare  in  such  a  quiet  by- 
street and  in  a  house  of  so  prosperous  and  even  noble 
an  exterior  ?  And  yet  —  snare  or  no  snare,  intentionally 
or  unintentionally  —  here  he  was,  prettily  trapped ;  and 
for  the  life  of  him  he  could  see  no  way  out  of  it  again. 
The  darkness  began  to  weigh  upon  him.  He  gave  ear; 
all  was  silence  without,  but  within  and  close  by  he 
seemed  to  catch  a  faint  sighing,  a  faint  sobbing  rustle,  a 
little  stealthy  creak  —  as  though  many  persons  were  at 
his  side,  holding  themselves  quite  still,  and  governing 
even  their  respiration  with  the  extreme  of  slyness.  The 
idea  went  to  his  vitals  with  a  shock,  and  he  faced  about 
suddenly  as  if  to  defend  his  life.  Then,  for  the  first  time, 
he  became  aware  of  a  light  about  the  level  of  his  eyes 
and  at  some  distance  in  the  interior  of  the  house  —  a 

322 


THE  SIRE   DE  MALETROIT'S   DOOR 

vertical  thread  of  light,  widening  towards  the  bottom, 
such  as  might  escape  between  two  wings  of  arras  over 
a  doorway.  To  see  anything  was  a  relief  to  Denis ;  it 
was  like  a  piece  of  solid  ground  to  a  man  labouring  in  a 
morass;  his  mind  seized  upon  it  with  avidity;  and  he 
stood  staring  at  it  and  trying  to  piece  together  some 
logical  conception  of  his  surroundings.  Plainly  there 
was  a  flight  of  steps  ascending  from  his  own  level  to 
that  of  this  illuminated  doorway ;  and  indeed  he  thought 
he  could  make  out  another  thread  of  light,  as  fine  as  a 
needle,  and  as  faint  as  phosphorescence,  which  might 
very  well  be  reflected  along  the  polished  wood  of  a 
handrail.  Since  he  had  begun  to  suspect  that  he  was 
not  alone,  his  heart  had  continued  to  beat  with  smother- 
ing violence,  and  an  intolerable  desire  for  action  of  any 
sort  had  possessed  itself  of  his  spirit.  He  was  in  deadly 
peril,  he  believed.  What  could  be  more  natural  than  to 
mount  the  staircase,  lift  the  curtain,  and  confront  his  dif- 
ficulty at  once  ?  At  least  he  would  be  dealing  with  some- 
thing tangible ;  at  least  he  would  be  no  longer  in  the 
dark.  He  stepped  slowly  forward  with  outstretched 
hands,  until  his  foot  struck  the  bottom  step;  then  he 
rapidly  scaled  the  stairs,  stood  for  a  moment  to  compose 
his  expression,  lifted  the  arras  and  went  in. 

He  found  himself  in  a  large  apartment  of  polished 
stone.  There  were  three  doors;  one  on  each  of  three 
sides ;  all  similarly  curtained  with  tapestry.  The  fourth 
side  was  occupied  by  two  large  windows  and  a  great 
stone  chimney-piece,  carved  with  the  arms  of  the  Male- 
troits.  Denis  recognised  the  bearings,  and  was  gratified 
to  find  himself  in  such  good  hands.  The  room  was 
strongly  illuminated ;  but  it  contained  little  furniture  ex- 

323 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

cept  a  heavy  table  and  a  chair  or  two,  the  hearth  was 
innocent  of  fire,  and  the  pavement  was  but  sparsely 
strewn  with  rushes  clearly  many  days  old. 

On  a  high  chair  beside  the  chimney,  and  directly  fac- 
ing Denis  as  he  entered,  sat  a  little  old  gentleman  in  a 
fur  tippet.  He  sat  with  his  legs  crossed  and  his  hands 
folded,  and  a  cup  of  spiced  wine  stood  by  his  elbow  on 
a  bracket  on  the  wall.  His  countenance  had  a  strongly 
masculine  cast;  not  properly  human,  but  such  as  we  see 
in  the  bull,  the  goat,  or  the  domestic  boar;  something 
equivocal  and  wheedling,  something  greedy,  brutal,  and 
dangerous.  The  upper  lip  was  inordinately  full,  as 
though  swollen  by  a  blow  or  a  toothache ;  and  the  smile, 
the  peaked  eyebrows,  and  the  small,  strong  eyes  were 
quaintly  and  almost  comically  evil  in  expression.  Beau- 
tiful white  hair  hung  straight  all  round  his  head,  like  a 
saint's,  and  fell  in  a  single  curl  upon  the  tippet.  His 
beard  and  moustache  were  the  pink  of  venerable  sweet- 
ness. Age,  probably  in  consequence  of  inordinate  pre- 
cautions, had  left  no  mark  upon  his  hands;  and  the 
Maletroit  hand  was  famous.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
imagine  anything  at  once  so  fleshy  and  so  delicate  in 
design ;  the  taper,  sensual  fingers  were  like  those  of  one 
of  Leonardo's  women ;  the  fork  of  the  thumb  made  a 
dimpled  protuberance  when  closed ;  the  nails  were  per- 
fectly shaped,  and  of  a  dead,  surprising  whiteness.  It 
rendered  his  aspect  tenfold  more  redoubtable,  that  a  man 
with  hands  like  these  should  keep  them  devoutly  folded 
like  a  virgin  martyr  —  that  a  man  with  so  intent  and 
startling  an  expression  of  face  should  sit  patiently  on  his 
seat  and  contemplate  people  with  an  unwinking  stare, 
like  a  god,  or  a  god's  statue.     His  quiescence  seemed 

324 


THE  SIRE  DE  MALETROIT'S   DOOR 

ironical  and  treacherous,  it  fitted  so  poorly  with  his 
looks. 

Such  was  Alain,  Sire  de  Maletroit. 

Denis  and  he  looked  silently  at  each  other  for  a  second 
or  two. 

"  Pray  step  in,"  said  the  Sire  de  Maletroit.  "  I  have 
been  expecting  you  all  the  evening." 

He  had  not  risen,  but  he  accompanied  his  words  with 
a  smile  and  a  slight  but  courteous  inclination  of  the  head. 
Partly  from  the  smile,  partly  from  the  strange  musical 
murmur  with  which  the  Sire  prefaced  his  observation, 
Denis  felt  a  strong  shudder  of  disgust  go  through  his 
marrow.  And  what  with  disgust  and  honest  confusion 
of  mind,  he  could  scarcely  get  words  together  in  reply. 

"  I  fear,"  he  said,  "that  this  is  a  double  accident.  I 
am  not  the  person  you  suppose  me.  It  seems  you  were 
looking  for  a  visit ;  but  for  my  part,  nothing  was  further 
from  my  thoughts  —  nothing  could  be  more  contrary  to 
my  wishes  —  than  this  intrusion." 

"Well,  well,"  replied  the  old  gentleman  indulgently, 
"here  you  are,  which  is  the  main  point.  Seat  yourself 
my  friend,  and  put  yourself  entirely  at  your  ease.  We 
shall  arrange  our  little  affairs  presently." 

Denis  perceived  that  the  matter  was  still  complicated 
with  some  misconception,  and  he  hastened  to  continue 
his  explanations. 

"  Your  door    .    .    .    ."he  began. 

"About  my  door  ?  "  asked  the  other  raising  his  peaked 
eyebrows.  "A  little  piece  of  ingenuity."  And  he 
shrugged  his  shoulders.  "A  hospitable  fancy!  By  your 
own  account,  you  were  not  desirous  of  making  my  ac- 
quaintance.    We  old  people  look  for  such  reluctance 

325 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

now  and  then ;  when  it  touches  our  honour,  we  cast 
about  until  we  find  some  way  of  overcoming  it.  You 
arrive  uninvited,  but  believe  me,  very  welcome." 

"  You  persist  in  error,  sir/'  said  Denis.  "There can 
be  no  question  between  you  and  me.  I  am  a  stranger 
in  this  countryside.  My  name  is  Denis,  damoiseau  de 
Beaulieu.     If  you  see  me  in  your  house,  it  is  only " 

"  My  young  friend,"  interrupted  the  other,  "you  will 
permit  me  to  have  my  own  ideas  on  that  subject.  They 
probably  differ  from  yours  at  the  present  moment,"  he 
added  with  a  leer,  "but  time  will  show  which  of  us  is 
in  the  right." 

Denis  was  convinced  he  had  to  do  with  a  lunatic.  He 
seated  himself  with  a  shrug,  content  to  wait  the  upshot; 
and  a  pause  ensued,  during  which  he  thought  he  could 
distinguish  a  hurried  gabbling  as  of  prayer  from  behind 
the  arras  immediately  opposite  him.  Sometimes  there 
seemed  to  be  but  one  person  engaged,  sometimes  two ; 
and  the  vehemence  of  the  voice,  low  as  it  was,  seemed 
to  indicate  either  great  haste  or  an  agony  of  spirit.  It 
occurred  to  him  that  this  piece  of  tapestry  covered  the 
entrance  to  the  chapel  he  had  noticed  from  without. 

The  old  gentleman  meanwhile  surveyed  Denis  from 
head  to  foot  with  a  smile,  and  from  time  to  time  emitted 
little  noises  like  a  bird  or  a  mouse,  which  seemed  to  in- 
dicate a  high  degree  of  satisfaction.  This  state  of  mat- 
ters became  rapidly  insupportable ;  and  Denis,  to  put  an 
end  to  it,  remarked  politely  that  the  wind  had  gone  down. 

The  old  gentleman  fell  into  a  fit  of  silent  laughter,  so 
prolonged  and  violent  that  he  became  quite  red  in  the 
face.  Denis  got  upon  his  feet  at  once,  and  put  on  his 
hat  with  a  flourish. 

326 


THE  SIRE   DE  MALETROITS   DOOR 

"Sir,"  he  said,  "if  you  are  in  your  wits,  you  have 
affronted  me  grossly.  If  you  are  out  of  them,  I  flatter 
myself  I  can  find  better  employment  for  my  brains  than 
to  talk  with  lunatics.  My  conscience  is  clear;  you  have 
made  a  fool  of  me  from  the  first  moment;  you  have  re- 
fused to  hear  my  explanations;  and  now  there  is  no 
power  under  God  will  make  me  stay  here  any  longer; 
and  if  I  cannot  make  my  way  out  in  a  more  decent 
fashion,  I  will  hack  your  door  in  pieces  with  my  sword." 

The  Sire  de  Mal6troit  raised  his  right  hand  and  wagged 
it  at  Denis  with  the  fore  and  little  fingers  extended. 

"My  dear  nephew,"  he  said,  "sit  down." 

1 '  Nephew !  "  retorted  Denis,  ' '  you  lie  in  your  throat ; " 
and  he  snapped  his  fingers  in  his  face. 

"Sit  down,  you  rogue!"  cried  the  old  gentleman,  in 
a  sudden,  harsh  voice,  like  the  barking  of  a  dog.  "  Do 
you  fancy,"  he  went  on,  "that  when  I  had  made  my 
little  contrivance  for  the  door  I  had  stopped  short  with 
that  ?  If  you  prefer  to  be  bound  hand  and  foot  till  your 
bones  ache,  rise  and  try  to  go  away.  If  you  choose  to 
remain  a  free  young  buck,  agreeably  conversing  with  an 
old  gentleman  —  why,  sit  where  you  are  in  peace,  and 
God  be  with  you." 

"  Do  you  mean  I  am  a  prisoner  ?"  demanded  Denis. 

"I  state  the  facts,"  replied  the  other.  "  I  would  rather 
leave  the  conclusion  to  yourself." 

Denis  sat  down  again.  Externally  he  managed  to 
keep  pretty  calm,  but  within,  he  was  now  boiling  with 
anger,  now  chilled  with  apprehension.  He  no  longer 
felt  convinced  that  he  was  dealing  with  a  madman. 
And  if  the  old  gentleman  was  sane,  what,  in  God's 
name,  had  he  to  look  for?     What  absurd  or  tragical 

327 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

adventure  had  befallen  him  ?  What  countenance  was 
he  to  assume  ? 

While  he  was  thus  unpleasantly  reflecting,  the  arras  that 
overhung  the  chapel  door  was  raised,  and  a  tall  priest  in 
his  robes  came  forth  and,  giving  a  long,  keen  stare  at  Denis; 
said  something  in  an  undertone  to  Sire  de  Maletroit. 

"  She  is  in  a  better  frame  of  spirit  ?  "  asked  the  latter. 

"She  is  more  resigned,  messire,"  replied  the  priest. 

"Now  the  Lord  help  her,  she  is  hard  to  please!" 
sneered  the  old  gentleman.  "A  likely  stripling  —  not 
ill-born  —  and  of  her  own  choosing,  too  ?  Why,  what 
more  would  the  jade  have  ?" 

"The  situation  is  not  usual  for  a  young  damsel," 
said  the  other,  "  and  somewhat  trying  to  her  blushes." 

"She  should  have  thought  of  that  before  she  began  the 
dance  ?  It  was  none  of  my  choosing,  God  knows  that: 
but  since  she  is  in  it,  by  our  lady,  she  shall  carry  it  to 
the  end."  And  then  addressing  Denis,  "  Monsieur  de 
Beaulieu,"  he  asked,  "  may  I  present  you  to  my  niece  ? 
She  has  been  waiting  your  arrival,  I  may  say,  with  even 
greater  impatience  than  myself." 

Denis  had  resigned  himself  with  a  good  grace  —  all 
he  desired  was  to  know  the  worst  of  it  as  speedily  as 
possible;  so  he  rose  at  once,  and  bowed  in  acquiescence. 
The  Sire  de  Maletroit  followed  his  example  and  limped, 
with  the  assistance  of  the  chaplain's  arm,  towards  the 
chapel-door.  The  priest  pulled  aside  the  arras,  and  all 
three  entered.  The  building  had  considerable  architec- 
tural pretensions.  A  light  groining  sprang  from  six 
stout  columns,  and  hung  down  in  two  rich  pendants 
from  the  centre  of  the  vault.  The  place  terminated  be- 
hind the  altar  in  a  round  end,  embossed  and  honey- 

328 


THE  SIRE   DE  MALETROIT'S   DOOR 

combed  with  a  superfluity  of  ornament  in  relief,  and 
pierced  by  many  little  windows  shaped  like  stars,  tre- 
foils, or  wheels.  These  windows  were  imperfectly 
glazed,  so  that  the  night  air  circulated  freely  in  the 
chapel.  The  tapers,  of  which  there  must  have  been  half 
a  hundred  burning  on  the  altar,  were  unmercifully  blown 
about;  and  the  light  went  through  many  different  phases 
of  brilliancy  and  semi-eclipse.  On  the  steps  in  front  of 
the  altar  knelt  a  young  girl  richly  attired  as  a  bride.  A 
chill  settled  over  Denis  as  he  observed  her  costume;  he 
fought  with  desperate  energy  against  the  conclusion  that 
was  being  thrust  upon  his  mind ;  it  could  not  —  it  should 
not  —  be  as  he  feared. 

"  Blanche,"  said  the  Sire,  in  his  most  flute-like  tones, 
"  I  have  brought  a  friend  to  see  you,  my  little  girl;  turn 
round  and  give  him  your  pretty  hand.  It  is  good  to  be 
devout;  but  it  is  necessary  to  be  polite,  my  niece." 

The  girl  rose  to  her  feet  and  turned  toward  the  new- 
comers. She  moved  all  of  a  piece;  and  shame  and  ex- 
haustion were  expressed  in  every  line  of  her  fresh  young 
body ;  and  she  held  her  head  down  and  kept  her  eyes 
upon  the  pavement,  as  she  came  slowly  forward.  In 
the  course  of  her  advance,  her  eyes  fell  upon  Denis  de 
Beaulieu's  feet  —  feet  of  which  he  was  justly  vain,  be  it 
remarked,  and  wore  in  the  most  elegant  accoutrement 
even  while  travelling.  She  paused  —  started,  as  if  his 
yellow  boots  had  conveyed  some  shocking  meaning  — 
and  glanced  suddenly  up  into  the  wearer's  counte- 
nance. Their  eyes  met;  shame  gave  place  to  horror 
and  terror  in  her  looks;  the  blood  left  her  lips;  with  a 
piercing  scream  she  covered  her  face  with  her  hands 
and  sank  upon  the  chapel  floor. 

329 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

''That  is  not  the  man !  '  she  cried.  " My  uncle,  that 
is  not  the  man!  " 

The  Sire  de  Maletroit  chirped  agreeably.  "Of  course 
not,"  he  said,  "I  expected  as  much.  It  was  so  unfor- 
tunate you  could  not  remember  his  name." 

"Indeed,"  she  cried,  "indeed,  I  have  never  seen  this 
person  till  this  moment  —  I  have  never  so  much  as  set 
eyes  upon  him —  I  never  wish  to  see  him  again.  Sir," 
she  said,  turning  to  Denis,  "  if  you  are  a  gentleman,  you 
will  bear  me  out.  Have  I  ever  seen  you  —  have  you 
ever  seen  me  —  before  this  accursed  hour?" 

"To  speak  for  myself,  I  have  never  had  that  pleas- 
ure, "  answered  the  young  man.  '  *  This  is  the  first  time, 
messire,  that  I  have  met  with  your  engaging  niece." 

The  old  gentleman  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"I  am  distressed  to  hear  it,"  he  said.  "But  it  is 
never  too  late  to  begin.  I  had  little  more  acquaintance 
with  my  own  late  lady  ere  I  married  her;  which  proves," 
he  added,  with  a  grimace,  "that  these  impromptu  mar- 
riages may  often  produce  an  excellent  understandin'g  in 
the  long  run.  As  the  bridegroom  is  to  have  a  voice  in 
the  matter,  I  will  give  him  two  hours  to  make  up  for 
lost  time  before  we  proceed  with  the  ceremony."  And 
he  turned  toward  the  door,  followed  by  the  clergyman. 

The  girl  was  on  her  feet  in  a  moment.  "  My  uncle, 
you  cannot  be  in  earnest,"  she  said.  "I  declare  before 
God  I  will  stab  myself  rather  than  be  forced  on  that 
young  man.  The  heart  rises  at  it;  God  forbids  such 
marriages;  you  dishonour  your  white  hair.  Oh,  my 
uncle,  pity  me !  There  is  not  a  woman  in  all  the  world 
but  would  prefer  death  to  such  a  nuptial.  Is  it  possi- 
ble," she  added,  faltering —  "is  it  possible  that  you  do 

330 


THE  SIRE   DE  MALETROIT'S   DOOR 

not  believe  me  —  that  you  still  think  this"  —  and  she 
pointed  at  Denis  with  a  tremor  of  anger  and  contempt 
—  "that  you  still  think  this  to  be  the  man  ?" 

"Frankly,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  pausing  on  the 
threshold,  "I  do.  But  let  me  explain  to  you  once  for 
all,  Blanche  de  Maletroit,  my  way  of  thinking  about  this 
affair.  When  you  took  it  into  your  head  to  dishonour 
my  family  and  the  name  that  I  have  borne,  in  peace  and 
war,  for  more  than  three-score  years,  you  forfeited  not 
only  the  right  to  question  my  designs,  but  that  of  look- 
ing me  in  the  face.  If  your  father  had  been  alive,  he 
would  have  spat  on  you  and  turned  you  out  of  doors. 
His  was  the  hand  of  iron.  You  may  bless  your  God  you 
have  only  to  deal  with  the  hand  of  velvet,  mademoi- 
selle. It  was  my  duty  to  get  you  married  without  de- 
lay. Out  of  pure  good-will,  I  have  tried  to  find  your 
own  gallant  for  you.  And  I  believe  I  have  succeeded. 
But  before  God  and  all  the  holy  angels,  Blanche  de  Male- 
troit, if  I  have  not,  I  care  not  one  jack-straw.  So  let  me 
recommend  you  to  be  polite  to  our  young  friend ;  for  upon 
my  word,  your  next  groom  may  be  less  appetising." 

And  with  that  he  went  out,  with  the  chaplain  at  his 
heels ;  and  the  arras  fell  behind  the  pair. 

The  girl  turned  upon  Denis  with  flashing  eyes. 

"  And  what,  sir,"  she  demanded,  "  may  be  the  mean- 
ing of  all  this  ?  " 

"God  knows,"  returned  Denis,  gloomily.  "I  am  a 
prisoner  in  this  house,  which  seems  full  of  mad  people. 
More  I  know  not;  and  nothing  do  I  understand." 

M  And  pray  how  came  you  here  ?  "  she  asked. 

He  told  her  as  briefly  as  he  could.  "  For  the  rest," 
he  added,  "perhaps  you  will  follow  my  example,  and 

33i 


NEW  ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

tell  me  the  answer  to  all  these  riddles,  and  what,  in 
God's  name,  is  like  to  be  the  end  of  it." 

She  stood  silent  for  a  little,  and  he  could  see  her  lips 
tremble  and  her  tearless  eyes  burn  with  a  feverish  lus- 
tre.    Then  she  pressed  her  forehead  in  both  hands. 

"Alas,  how  my  head  aches! "  she  said  wearily — "to 
say  nothing  of  my  poor  heart !  But  it  is  due  to  you  to 
know  my  story,  unmaidenly  as  it  must  seem.  I  am 
called  Blanche  de  Maletroit;  I  have  been  without  father 
or  mother  for  —  oh!  for  as  long  as  I  can  recollect, 
and  indeed  I  have  been  most  unhappy  all  my  life. 
Three  months  ago  a  young  captain  began  to  stand  near 
me  every  day  in  church.  I  could  see  that  I  pleased  him ; 
I  am  much  to  blame,  but  I  was  so  glad  that  any  one 
should  love  me ;  and  when  he  passed  me  a  letter,  I  took 
it  home  with  me  and  read  it  with  great  pleasure.  Since 
that  time  he  has  written  many.  He  was  so  anxious  to 
speak  with  me,  poor  fellow!  and  kept  asking  me  to 
leave  the  door  open  some  evening  that  we  might  have 
two  words  upon  the  stair.  For  he  knew  how  much 
my  uncle  trusted  me."  She  gave  something  like  a  sob 
at  that,  and  it  was  a  moment  before  she  could  go  on. 
"  My  uncle  is  a  hard  man,  but  he  is  very  shrewd,"  she 
said  at  last.  "He  has  performed  many  feats  in  war, 
and  was  a  great  person  at  court,  and  much  trusted  by 
Queen  Isabeau  in  old  days.  How  he  came  to  suspect 
me  I  cannot  tell ;  but  it  is  hard  to  keep  anything  from 
his  knowledge;  and  this  morning,  as  we  came  from 
mass,  he  took  my  hand  into  his,  forced  it  open,  and 
read  my  little  billet,  walking  by  my  side  all  the  while. 
When  he  finished,  he  gave  it  back  to  me  with  great 
politeness.     It  contained  another  request  to  have  the 

332 


THE  SIRE   DE  MALETROIT'S   DOOR 

door  left  open ;  and  this  has  been  the  ruin  of  us  all.  My 
uncle  kept  me  strictly  in  my  room  until  evening,  and 
then  ordered  me  to  dress  myself  as  you  see  me — a  hard 
mockery  for  a  young  girl,  do  you  not  think  so  ?  I  sup- 
pose, when  he  could  not  prevail  with  me  to  tell  him 
the  young  captain's  name,  he  must  have  laid  a  trap  for 
him :  into  which,  alas !  you  have  fallen  in  the  anger  of 
God.  I  looked  for  much  confusion;  for  how  could  I 
tell  whether  he  was  willing  to  take  me  for  his  wife  on 
these  sharp  terms  ?  He  might  have  been  trifling  with 
me  from  the  first;  or  I  might  have  made  myself  too 
cheap  in  his  eyes.  But  truly  I  had  not  looked  for  such 
a  shameful  punishment  as  this !  I  could  not  think  that 
God  would  let  a  girl  be  so  disgraced  before  a  young 
man.  And  now  I  tell  you  all;  and  I  can  scarcely  hope 
that  you  will  not  despise  me." 

Denis  made  her  a  respectful  inclination. 

"Madam,"  he  said,  "you  have  honoured  me  by  your 
confidence.  It  remains  for  me  to  prove  that  I  am  not 
unworthy  of  the  honour.  Is  Messire  de  Maletroit  at 
hand?" 

"  I  believe  he  is  writing  in  the  salle  without, "  she  an- 
swered. 

"May  I  lead  you  thither,  madam  ?"  asked  Denis,  of- 
fering his  hand  with  his  most  courtly  bearing. 

She  accepted  it;  and  the  pair  passed  out  of  the  chapel, 
Blanche  in  a  very  drooping  and  shamefast  condition,  but 
Denis  strutting  and  ruffling  in  the  consciousness  of  a 
mission,  and  the  boyish  certainty  of  accomplishing  it 
with  honour. 

The  Sire  de  Maletroit  rose  to  meet  them  with  an  ironi- 
cal obeisance. 

333 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

"Sir,"  said  Denis,  with  the  grandest  possible  air,  "  I 
believe  I  am  to  have  some  say  in  the  matter  of  this  mar- 
riage ;  and  let  me  tell  you  at  once,  I  will  be  no  party  to 
forcing  the  inclination  of  this  young  lady.  Had  it  been 
freely  offered  to  me,  I  should  have  been  proud  to  accept  her 
hand,  for  I  perceive  she  is  as  good  as  she  is  beautiful ;  but 
as  things  are,  I  have  now  the  honour,  messire,  of  refusing. " 

Blanche  looked  at  him  with  gratitude  in  her  eyes ;  but 
the  old  gentleman  only  smiled  and  smiled,  until  his  smile 
grew  positively  sickening  to  Denis. 

"I  am  afraid,"  he  said,  "Monsieur  de  Beaulieu,  that 
you  do  not  perfectly  understand  the  choice  I  have  offered 
you.  Follow  me,  I  beseech  you,  to  this  window. "  And 
he  led  the  way  to  one  of  the  large  windows  which  stood 
open  on  the  night.  ' '  You  observe, "  he  went  on,  ' '  there 
is  an  iron  ring  in  the  upper  masonry,  and  reeved  through 
that,  a  very  efficacious  rope.  Now,  mark  my  words: 
if  you  should  find  your  disinclination  to  my  niece's  per- 
son insurmountable,  I  shall  have  you  hanged  out  of  this 
window  before  sunrise.  I  shall  only  proceed  to  such 
an  extremity  with  the  greatest  regret,  you  may  believe 
me.  For  it  is  not  at  all  your  death  that  I  desire,  but  my 
niece's  establishment  in  life.  At  the  same  time,  it  must 
come  to  that  if  you  prove  obstinate.  Your  family,  Mon- 
sieur de  Beaulieu,  is  very  well  in  its  way;  but  if  you 
sprang  from  Charlemagne,  you  should  not  refuse  the 
hand  of  a  Maletroit  with  impunity  —  not  if  she  had  been 
as  common  as  the  Paris  road  —  not  if  she  were  as  hideous 
as  the  gargoyle  over  my  door.  Neither  my  niece  nor 
you,  nor  my  own  private  feelings,  move  me  at  all  in  this 
matter.  The  honour  of  my  house  has  been  compro- 
mised ;  I  believe  you  to  be  the  guilty  person,  at  least  you 

334 


THE  SIRE   DE  MALETROIT'S   DOOR 

are  now  in  the  secret;  and  you  can  hardly  wonder  if  I 
request  you  to  wipe  out  the  stain.  If  you  will  not,  your 
blood  be  on  your  own  head !  It  will  be  no  great  satis- 
faction to  me  to  have  your  interesting  relics  kicking 
their  heels  in  the  breeze  below  my  windows,  but  half  a 
loaf  is  better  than  no  bread,  and  if  I  cannot  cure  the  dis- 
honour, I  shall  at  least  stop  the  scandal." 

There  was  a  pause. 

"  I  believe  there  are  other  ways  of  settling  such  im- 
broglios among  gentlemen,"  said  Denis.  M  You  wear  a 
sword,  and  I  hear  you  have  used  it  with  distinction." 

The  Sire  de  Maletroit  made  a  signal  to  the  chaplain, 
who  crossed  the  room  with  long  silent  strides  and  raised 
the  arras  over  the  third  of  the  three  doors.  It  was  only 
a  moment  before  he  let  it  fall  again ;  but  Denis  had  time 
to  see  a  dusky  passage  full  of  armed  men. 

"When  I  was  a  little  younger,  I  should  have  been  de- 
lighted to  honour  you,  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu,"  said  Sire 
Alain ;  "but  I  am  now  too  old.  Faithful  retainers  are  the 
sinews  of  age,  and  I  must  employ  the  strength  I  have. 
This  is  one  of  the  hardest  things  to  swallow  as  a  man 
grows  up  in  years ;  but  with  a  little  patience,  even  this 
becomes  habitual.  You  and  the  lady  seem  to  prefer  the 
salle  for  what  remains  of  your  two  hours ;  and  as  I  have 
no  desire  to  cross  your  preference,  I  shall  resign  it  to  your 
use  with  all  the  pleasure  in  the  world.  No  haste! "  he 
added,  holding  up  his  hand,  as  he  saw  a  dangerous  look 
come  into  Denis  de  Beaulieu's  face.  "  If  your  mind  re- 
volt against  hanging,  it  will  be  time  enough  two  hours 
hence  to  throw  yourself  out  of  the  window  or  upon  the 
pikes  of  my  retainers.  Two  hours  of  life  are  always  two 
hours.     A  great  many  things  may  turn  up  in  even  as 

335 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

little  a  while  as  that.  And,  besides,  if  I  understand  her 
appearance,  my  niece  has  something  to  say  to  you. 
You  will  not  disfigure  your  last  hours  by  a  want  of  po- 
liteness to  a  lady  ?" 

Denis  looked  at  Blanche,  and  she  made  him  an  im- 
ploring gesture. 

It  is  likely  that  the  old  gentleman  was  hugely  pleased 
at  this  symptom  of  an  understanding;  for  he  smiled  on 
both,  and  added  sweetly:  "If  you  will  give  me  your 
word  of  honour,  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu,  to  await  my  re- 
turn at  the  end  of  the  two  hours  before  attempting  any- 
thing desperate,  I  shall  withdraw  my  retainers,  and  let 
you  speak  in  greater  privacy  with  mademoiselle." 

Denis  again  glanced  at  the  girl,  who  seemed  to  be- 
seech him  to  -^ree. 

"I  give  you    ly  word  of  honour,"  he  said. 

Messire  de  MJetroit  bowed,  and  proceeded  to  limp 
about  the  apartment,  clearing  his  throat  the  while  with 
that  odd  musical  chirp  which  had  already  grown  so  ir- 
ritating in  the  ears  of  Denis  de  Beaulieu.  He  first  pos- 
sessed himself  of  some  papers  which  lay  upon  the  table ; 
then  he  went  to  the  mouth  of  the  passage  and  appeared 
to  give  an  order  to  the  men  behind  the  arras;  and  lastly 
he  hobbled  out  through  the  door  by  which  Denis  had 
come  in,  turning  upon  the  threshold  to  address  a  last 
smiling  bow  to  the  young  couple,  and  followed  by  the 
chaplain  with  a  hand-lamp. 

No  sooner  were  they  alone  than  Blanche  advanced  to- 
wards Denis  with  her  hands  extended.  Her  face  was 
flushed  and  excited,  and  her  eyes  shone  with  tears. 

"You  shall  not  die ! "  she  cried,  "you  shall  marry  me 
after  all." 

336 


THE  SIRE   DE  MALETROIT'S   DOOR 

"  You  seem  to  think,  madam,"  replied  Denis,  "that 
I  stand  much  in  fear  of  death." 

"Oh,  no,  no,"  she  said,  "  I  see  you  are  no  poltroon. 
It  is  for  my  own  sake  —  I  could  not  bear  to  have  you 
slain  for  such  a  scruple." 

"I  am  afraid,"  returned  Denis,  "that  you  underrate 
the  difficulty,  madam.  What  you  may  be  too  generous 
to  refuse,  I  may  be  too  proud  to  accept.  In  a  moment 
of  noble  feeling  towards  me,  you  forgot  what  you  per- 
haps owe  to  others." 

He  had  the  decency  to  keep  his  eyes  on  the  floor  as 
he  said  this,  and  after  he  had  finished,  so  as  not  to  spy 
upon  her  confusion.  She  stood  silent  for  a  moment,  then 
walked  suddenly  away,  and  falling  on  her  uncles  chair, 
fairly  burst  out  sobbing.  Denis  was  in  the  acme  of  em- 
barrassment. He  looked  round,  as  if  to  seek  for  inspi- 
ration, and  seeing  a  stool,  plumped  down  upon  it  for 
something  to  do.  There  he  sat  playing  with  the  guard 
of  his  rapier,  and  wishing  himself  dead  a  thousand  times 
over,  and  buried  in  the  nastiest  kitchen-heap  in  France. 
His  eyes  wandered  round  the  apartment,  but  found 
nothing  to  arrest  them.  There  were  such  wide  spaces 
between  the  furniture,  the  light  fell  so  badly  and  cheer- 
lessly over  all,  the  dark  outside  air  looked  in  so  coldly 
through  the  windows,  that  he  thought  he  had  never 
seen  a  church  so  vast,  nor  a  tomb  so  melancholy.  The 
regular  sobs  of  Blanche  de  Maletroit  measured  out  the 
time  like  the  ticking  of  a  clock.  He  read  the  device 
upon  the  shield  over  and  over  again,  until  his  eyes  be- 
came obscured ;  he  stared  into  shadowy  corners  until  he 
imagined  they  were  swarming  with  horrible  animals; 
and  every  now  and  again  he  awoke  with  a  start,  to 

337 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

remember  that  his  last  two  hours  were  running,  and 
death  was  on  the  march. 

Oftener  and  oftener,  as  the  time  went  on,  did  his 
glance  settle  on  the  girl  herself.  Her  face  was  bowed 
forward  and  covered  with  her  hands,  and  she  was  shaken 
at  intervals  by  the  convulsive  hiccup  of  grief.  Even  thus 
she  was  not  an  unpleasant  object  to  dwell  upon,  so 
plump  and  yet  so  fine,  with  a  warm  brown  skin,  and 
the  most  beautiful  hair,  Denis  thought,  in  the  whole 
world  of  womankind.  Her  hands  were  like  her  uncle's; 
but  they  were  more  in  place  at  the  end  of  her  young 
arms,  and  looked  infinitely  soft  and  caressing.  He 
remembered  how  her  blue  eyes  had  shone  upon  him, 
full  of  anger,  pity,  and  innocence.  And  the  more  he 
dwelt  on  her  perfections,  the  uglier  death  looked,  and 
the  more  deeply  was  he  smitten  with  penitence  at  her 
continued  tears.  Now  he  felt  that  no  man  could  have 
the  courage  to  leave  a  world  which  contained  so  beauti- 
ful a  creature;  and  now  he  would  have  given  forty 
minutes  of  his  last  hour  to  have  unsaid  his  cruel  speech. 

Suddenly  a  hoarse  and  ragged  peal  of  cockcrow  rose 
to  their  ears  from  the  dark  valley  below  the  windows. 
And  this  shattering  noise  in  the  silence  of  all  around  was 
like  a  light  in  a  dark  place,  and  shook  them  both  out  of 
their  reflections. 

"Alas,  can  I  do  nothing  to  help  you  ?"  she  said,  look- 
ing up. 

"  Madam,"  replied  Denis,  with  a  fine  irrelevancy,  "if 
I  have  said  anything  to  wound  you,  believe  me,  it  was 
for  your  own  sake  and  not  for  mine." 

She  thanked  him  with  a  tearful  look. 

"I  feel  your  position  cruelly,"  he  went  on.     "The 


THE  SIRE   DE   MALETROIT'S   DOOR 

world  has  been  bitter  hard  on  you.  Your  uncle  is  a 
disgrace  to  mankind.  Believe  me,  madam,  there  is  no 
young  gentleman  in  all  France  but  would  be  glad  of  my 
opportunity,  to  die  in  doing  you  a  momentary  service." 

"I  know  already  that  you  can  be  very  brave  and 
generous,"  she  answered.  "What  I  want  to  know  is 
whether  I  can  serve  you  —  now  or  afterwards,"  she 
added,  with  a  quaver. 

"Most  certainly,"  he  answered  with  a  smile.  "Let 
me  sit  beside  you  as  if  I  were  a  friend,  instead  of  a 
foolish  intruder ;  try  to  forget  how  awkwardly  we  are 
placed  to  one  another;  make  my  last  moments  go  pleas- 
antly; and  you  will  do  me  the  chief  service  possible." 

"  You  are  very  gallant,"  she  added,  with  a  yet  deeper 
sadness  ....  "very  gallant  ....  and  it  somehow 
pains  me.  But  draw  nearer,  if  you  please;  and  if  you 
find  anything  to  say  to  me,  you  will  at  least  make 
certain  of  a  very  friendly  listener.  Ah !  Monsieur  de 
Beaulieu,"  she  broke  forth —  "ah!  Monsieur  de  Beau- 
lieu,  how  can  I  look  you  in  the  face  ?  "  And  she  fell  to 
weeping  again  with  a  renewed  effusion. 

"Madam,"  said  Denis,  taking  her  hand  in  both  of 
his,  "  reflect  on  the  little  time  I  have  before  me,  and  the 
great  bitterness  into  which  I  am  cast  by  the  sight  of 
your  distress.  Spare  me,  in  my  last  moments,  the  spec- 
tacle of  what  I  cannot  cure  even  with  the  sacrifice  of  my 
life." 

"I  am  very  selfish,"  answered  Blanche.  "I  will  be 
braver,  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu,  for  your  sake.  But  think 
if  I  can  do  you  no  kindness  in  the  future  —  if  you  have 
no  friends  to  whom  I  could  carry  your  adieux.  Charge 
me  as  heavily  as  you  can ;  every  burden  will  lighten,  by 

339 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

so  little,  the  invaluable  gratitude  I  owe  you.  Put  it  in 
my  power  to  do  something  more  for  you  than  weep." 

"  My  mother  is  married  again,  and  has  a  young  fam- 
ily to  care  for.  My  brother  Guichard  will  inherit  my 
fiefs;  and  if  I  am  not  in  error,  that  will  content  him 
amply  for  my  death.  Life  is  a  little  vapour  that  passeth 
away,  as  we  are  told  by  those  in  holy  orders.  When  a 
man  is  in  a  fair  way  and  sees  all  life  open  in  front  of  him, 
he  seems  to  himself  to  make  a  very  important  figure  in 
the  world.  His  hor^  whinnies  to  him;  the  trumpets 
blow  and  the  girls  look  out  of  window  as  he  rides  into 
town  before  his  company ;  he  receives  many  assurances 
of  trust  and  regard  —  sometimes  by  express  in  a  letter — 
sometimes  face  to  face,  with  persons  of  great  conse- 
quence falling  on  his  neck.  It  is  not  wonderful  if  his 
head  is  turned  for  a  time.  But  once  he  is  dead,  were  he 
as  brave  as  Hercules  or  as  wise  as  Solomon,  he  is  soon 
forgotten.  It  is  not  ten  years  since  my  father  fell,  with 
many  other  knights  around  him,  in  a  very  fierce  encoun- 
ter, and  I  do  not  think  that  any  one  of  them,  nor  so  much 
as  the  name  of  the  fight,  is  now  remembered.  No,  no, 
madam,  the  nearer  you  come  to  it,  you  see  that  death  is 
a  dark  and  dusty  corner,  where  a  man  gets  into  his  tomb 
and  has  the  door  shut  after  him  till  the  judgment  day. 
I  have  few  friends  just  now,  and  once  I  am  dead  I  shall 
have  none." 

"Ah,  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu!"  she  exclaimed,  "you 
forget  Blanche  de  Maletroit." 

"You  have  a  sweet  nature,  madam,  and  you  are 
pleased  to  estimate  a  little  service  far  beyond  its  worth." 

"  It  is  not  that,"  she  answered.  "  You  mistake  me  if 
you  think  I  am  easily  touched  by  my  own  concerns.     I 

340 


THE  SIRE   DE  MALETROIT'S   DOOR 

say  so,  because  you  are  the  noblest  man  I  have  ever  met ; 
because  I  recognise  in  you  a  spirit  that  would  have  made 
even  a  common  person  famous  in  the  land." 

"And  yet  here  I  die  in  a  mousetrap  —  with  no  more 
noise  about  it  than  my  own  squeaking,"  answered  he. 

A  look  of  pain  crossed  her  face,  and  she  was  silent  for 
a  little  while.  Then  a  light  came  into  her  eyes,  and  with 
a  smile  she  spoke  again. 

"I  cannot  have  my  champion  think  meanly  of  him- 
self. Anyone  who  gives  his  life  for  another  will  be  met 
in  Paradise  by  all  the  heralds  and  angels  of  the  Lord 
God.  And  you  have  no  such  cause  to  hang  your  head. 
For  ....  pray,  do  you  think  me  beautiful  ? "  she 
asked,  with  a  deep  flush. 

"Indeed,  madam,  I  do,"  he  said. 

1 '  I  am  glad  of  that, "  she  answered  heartily.  • '  Do  you 
think  there  are  many  men  in  France  who  have  been 
asked  in  marriage  by  a  beautiful  maiden  —  with  her 
own  lips  —  and  who  have  "refused  her  to  her  face?  I 
know  you  men  would  half  despise  such  a  triumph ;  but 
believe  me,  we  women  know  more  of  what  is  precious 
in  love.  There  is  nothing  that  should  set  a  person  higher 
in  his  own  esteem ;  and  we  women  would  prize  nothing 
more  dearly." 

"You  are  very  good,"  he  said;  "but  you  cannot 
make  me  forget  that  I  was  asked  in  pity  and  not  for 
love." 

"  I  am  not  so  sure  of  that,"  she  replied,  holding  down 
her  head.  ' '  Hear  me  to  an  end,  Monsieur  de  Beaulieu,  I 
know  how  you  must  despise  me ;  I  feel  you  are  right  to  do 
so ;  I  am  too  poor  a  creature  to  occupy  one  thought  of 
your  mind,  although,  alas!  you  must  die  for  me  this 

34 i 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

morning.  But  when  I  asked  you  to  marry  me,  indeed, 
and  indeed,  it  was  because  I  respected  and  admired  you, 
and  loved  you  with  my  whole  soul,  from  the  very  mo- 
ment that  you  took  my  part  against  my  uncle.  If  you 
had  seen  yourself,  and  how  noble  you  looked,  you  would 
pity  rather  than  despise  me.  And  now,"  she  went  on, 
hurriedly  checking  him  with  her  hand,  "although  I 
have  laid  aside  all  reserve  and  told  you  so  much,  remem- 
ber that  I  know  your  sentiments  towards  me  already. 
I  would  not,  believe  me,  being  nobly  born,  weary  you 
with  importunities  into  consent.  I  too  have  a  pride  of 
my  own :  and  I  declare  before  the  holy  mother  of  God, 
if  you  should  now  go  back  from  your  word  already 
given,  I  would  no  more  marry  you  than  I  would  marry 
my  uncle's  groom." 

Denis  smiled  a  little  bitterly. 

"It  is  a  small  love,"  he  said,  "that  shies  at  a  little 
pride." 

She  made  no  answer,  although  she  probably  had  her 
own  thoughts. 

"  Come  hither  to  the  window,"  he  said  with  a  sigh. 
"  Here  is  the  dawn." 

And  indeed  the  dawn  was  already  beginning.  The 
hollow  of  the  sky  was  full  of  essential  daylight,  colourless 
and  clean ;  and  the  valley  underneath  was  flooded  with 
a  gray  reflection.  A  few  thin  vapours  clung  in  the  coves 
of  the  forest  or  lay  along  the  winding  course  of  the  river. 
The  scene  disengaged  a  surprising  effect  of  stillness, 
which  was  hardly  interrupted  when  the  cocks  began 
once  more  to  crow  among  the  steadings.  Perhaps  the 
same  fellow  who  had  made  so  horrid  a  clangour  in  the 
darkness  not  half  an  hour  before,  now  sent  up  the  mer- 

342 


THE  SIRE  DE  MALETROIT'S   DOOR 

riest  cheer  to  greet  the  coming  day.  A  little  wind  went 
bustling  and  eddying  among  the  tree-tops  underneath 
the  windows.  And  still  the  daylight  kept  Hooding  in- 
sensibly out  of  the  east,  which  was  soon  to  grow  incan- 
descent and  cast  up  that  red-hot  cannon-ball,  the  rising 
sun. 

Denis  looked  out  over  all  this  with  a  bit  of  a  shiver. 
He  had  taken  her  hand,  and  retained  it  in  his  almost 
unconsciously. 

"Has  the  day  begun  already?"  she  said;  and  then, 
illogically  enough:  "the  night  has  been  so  long!  Alas! 
what  shall  we  say  to  my  uncle  when  he  returns  ?" 

"What  you  will,"  said  Denis,  and  he  pressed  her  fin- 
gers in  his. 

She  was  silent. 

"  Blanche,"  he  said,  with  a  swift,  uncertain,  passion- 
ate utterance,  "you  have  seen  whether  I  fear  death. 
You  must  know  well  enough  that  I  would  as  gladly 
leap  out  of  that  window  into  the  empty  air  as  to  lay  a 
finger  on  you  without  your  free  and  full  consent.  But 
if  you  care  for  me  at  all,  do  not  let  me  lose  my  life  in  a 
misapprehension ;  for  I  love  you  better  than  the  whole 
world ;  and  though  I  will  die  for  you  blithely,  it  would 
be  like  all  the  joys  of  Paradise  to  live  on  and  spend  my 
life  in  your  service." 

As  he  stopped  speaking,  a  bell  began  to  ring  loudly 
in  the  interior  of  the  house ;  and  a  clatter  of  armour  in 
the  corridor  showed  that  the  retainers  were  returning 
to  their  post,  and  the  two  hours  were  at  an  end. 

"  After  all  that  you  have  heard  ?  "  she  whispered,  lean- 
ing towards  him  with  her  lips  and  eyes. 

"I  have  heard  nothing,"  he  replied. 

343 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

"The  captain's  name  was  Florimond  de  Champdi- 
vers,"  she  said  in  his  ear. 

"I  did  not  hear  it,"  he  answered,  taking  her  supple 
body  in  his  arms,  and  covering  her  wet  face  with  kisses. 

A  melodious  chirping  was  audible  behind,  followed 
by  a  beautiful  chuckle,  and  the  voice  of  Messire  de  Male- 
troit  wished  his  new  nephew  a  good  morning. 


344 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR 


CHAPTER  I 

MONSIEUR  LEON  BERTHELINI  had  a  great  care 
of  his  appearance,  and  sedulously  suited  his  de- 
portment to  the  costume  of  the  hour.  He  affected  some- 
thing Spanish  in  his  air,  and  something  of  the  bandit, 
with  a  flavour  of  Rembrandt  at  home.  In  person  he 
was  decidedly  small  and  inclined  to  be  stout;  his  face 
was  the  picture  of  good  humour;  his  dark  eyes,  which 
were  very  expressive,  told  of  a  kind  heart,  a  brisk,  merry 
nature,  and  the  most  indefatigable  spirits.  If  he  had  worn 
the  clothes  of  the  period  you  would  have  set  him  down 
for  a  hitherto  undiscovered  hybrid  between  the  barber, 
the  innkeeper,  and  the  affable  dispensing  chemist.  But 
in  the  outrageous  bravery  of  velvet  jacket  and  flapped 
hat,  with  trousers  that  were  more  accurately  described 
as  fleshings,  a  white  handkerchief  cavalierly  knotted  at 
his  neck,  a  shock  of  Olympian  curls  upon  his  brow,  and 
his  feet  shod  through  all  weathers  in  the  slenderest  of 
Moliere  shoes  —  you  had  but  to  look  at  him  and  you 
knew  you  were  in  the  presence  of  a  Great  Creature.  When 
he  wore  an  overcoat  he  scorned  to  pass  the  sleeves ;  a 
single  button  held  it  round  his  shoulders ;  it  was  tossed 
backwards  after  the  manner  of  a  cloak,  and  carried  with 
the  gait  and  presence  of  an  Almaviva.     I  am  of  opinion 

347 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

that  M.  Berthelini  was  nearing  forty.  But  he  had  a 
boy's  heart,  gloried  in  his  finery,  and  walked  through 
life  like  a  child  in  a  perpetual  dramatic  performance.  If 
he  were  not  Almaviva  after  all,  it  was  not  for  lack  of 
making  believe.  And  he  enjoyed  the  artist's  compensa- 
tion. If  he  were  not  really  Almaviva,  he  was  sometimes 
just  as  happy  as  though  he  were. 

I  have  seen  him,  at  moments  when  he  has  fancied 
himself  alone  with  his  Maker,  adopt  so  gay  and  chival- 
rous a  bearing,  and  represent  his  own  part  with  so  much 
warmth  and  conscience,  that  the  illusion  became  catch- 
ing, and  I  believed  implicitly  in  the  Great  Creature's  pose. 

But,  alas!  life  cannot  be  entirely  conducted  on  these 
principles ;  man  cannot  live  by  Almavivery  alone ;  and 
the  Great  Creature,  having  failed  upon  several  theatres, 
was  obliged  to  step  down  every  evening  from  his 
heights,  and  sing  from  a  half-a-dozen  to  a  dozen  comic 
songs,  twang  a  guitar,  keep  a  country  audience  in  good 
humour,  and  preside  finally  over  the  mysteries  of  a  tom- 
bola. 

Madame  Berthelini,  who  was  art  and  part  with  him 
in  these  undignified  labours,  had  perhaps  a  higher  posi- 
tion in  the  scale  of  beings,  and  enjoyed  a  natural  dignity 
of  her  own.  But  her  heart  was  not  any  more  rightly 
placed,  for  that  would  have  been  impossible;  and  she 
had  acquired  a  little  air  of  melancholy,  attractive  enough 
in  its  way,  but  not  good  to  see  like  the  wholesome,  sky- 
scraping,  boyish  spirits  of  her  lord. 

He,  indeed,  swam  like  a  kite  on  a  fair  wind,  high  above 
earthly  troubles.  Detonations  of  temper  were  not  un- 
frequent  in  the  zones  he  travelled;  but  sulky  fogs  and 
tearful  depressions  were  there  alike  unknown.    A  well- 

34» 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR 

delivered  blow  upon  a  table,  or  a  noble  attitude,  imitated 
from  Melingue  or  Frederic,  relieved  his  irritation  like  a 
vengeance.  Though  the  heaven  had  fallen,  if  he  had 
played  his  part  with  propriety,  Berthelini  had  been  con- 
tent! And  the  man's  atmosphere,  if  not  his  example, 
reacted  on  his  wife ;  for  the  couple  doted  on  each  other, 
and  although  you  would  have  thought  they  walked  in 
different  worlds,  yet  continued  to  walk  hand  in  hand. 

It  chanced  one  day  that  Monsieur  and  Madame  Ber- 
thelini descended  with  two  boxes  and  a  guitar  in  a  fat 
case  at  the  station  of  the  little  town  of  Castel-le-Gachis, 
and  the  omnibus  carried  them  with  their  effects  to  the 
Hotel  of  the  Black  Head.  This  was  a  dismal,  conventual 
building  in  a  narrow  street,  capable  of  standing  siege 
when  once  the  gates  were  shut,  and  smelling  strangely 
in  the  interior  of  straw  and  chocolate  and  old  feminine 
apparel.  Berthelini  paused  upon  the  threshold  with  a 
painful  premonition.  In  some  former  state,  it  seemed 
to  him,  he  had  visited  a  hostelry  that  smelt  not  other- 
wise, and  been  ill  received. 

The  landlord,  a  tragic  person  in  a  large  felt  hat,  rose 
from  a  business  table  under  the  key-rack,  and  came  for- 
ward, removing  his  hat  with  both  hands  as  he  did  so. 

"  Sir,  I  salute  you.  May  I  inquire  what  is  your  charge 
for  artists  ?"  inquired  Berthelini,  with  a  courtesy  at  once 
splendid  and  insinuating. 

"  For  artists  ?"  said  the  landlord.  His  countenance 
fell  and  the  smile  of  welcome  disappeared.  "Oh,  ar- 
tists !"  he  added  brutally;  "four  francs  a  day."  And 
he  turned  his  back  upon  these  inconsiderable  customers. 

A  commercial  traveller  is  received,  he  also,  upon  a  re- 
duction —  yet  is  he  welcome,  yet  can  he  command  the 

349 


NEW  ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

"fatted  calf;  but  an  artist,  had  he  the  manners  of  an  Al- 
r  maviva,  were  he  dressed  like  Solomon  in  all  his  glory, 
•is  received  like  a  dog  and  served  like  a  timid  lady  trav- 
elling alone. 

Accustomed  as  he  was  to  the  rubs  of  his  profession, 
Berthelini  was  unpleasantly  affected  by  the  landlord's 
manner. 

"Elvira,"  said  he  to  his  wife,  "mark  my  words: 
Castel-le-Gachis  is  a  tragic  folly." 

"Wait  till  we  see  what  we  take,"  replied  Elvira. 

"We  shall  take  nothing, " returned  Berthelini;  "we 
shall  feed  upon  insults.  I  have  an  eye,  Elvira;  I  have  a 
spirit  of  divination ;  and  this  place  is  accursed.  The  land- 
lord has  been  discourteous,  the  Commissary  will  be  bru- 
tal, the  audience  will  be  sordid  and  uproarious,  and  you 
will  take  a  cold  upon  your  throat.  We  have  been  be- 
sotted enough  to  come;  the  die  is  cast —  it  will  be  a  sec- 
ond Sedan." 

Sedan  was  a  town  hateful  to  the  Berthelinis,  not  only 
from  patriotism  (for  they  were  French,  and  answered 
after  the  flesh  to  the  somewhat  homely  name  of  Duval), 
but  because  it  had  been  the  scene  of  their  most  sad  re- 
verses. In  that  place  they  had  lain  three  weeks  in 
pawn  for  their  hotel  bill,  and  had  it  not  been  for  a  sur- 
prising stroke  of  fortune  they  might  have  been  lying 
there  in  pawn  until  this  day.  To  mention  the  name  of 
Sedan  was  for  the  Berthelinis  to  dip  the  brush  in  earth- 
quake and  eclipse.  Count  Almaviva  slouched  his  hat 
with  a  gesture  expressive  of  despair,  and  even  Elvira 
felt  as  if  ill-fortune  had  been  personally  invoked. 

"Let  us  ask  for  breakfast,"  said  she,  with  a  woman's 
tact. 

350 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR 

The  Commissary  of  Police  of  Castel-le-Gachis  was  a 
large  red  Commissary,  pimpled,  and  subject  to  a  strong 
cutaneous  transpiration.  I  have  repeated  the  name  of 
his  office  because  he  was  so  very  much  more  a  Com- 
missary than  a  man.  The  spirit  of  his  dignity  had  en- 
tered into  him.  He  carried  his  corporation  as  if  it  were 
something  official.  Whenever  he  insulted  a  common 
citizen  it  seemed  to  him  as  if  he  were  adroitly  flattering 
the  Government  by  a  side  wind ;  in  default  of  dignity  he 
was  brutal  from  an  over-weening  sense  of  duty.  His 
office  was  a  den,  whence  passers-by  could  hear  rude 
accents  laying  down,  not  the  law,  but  the  good  pleas- 
ure of  the  Commissary. 

Six  several  times  in  the  course  of  the  day  did  M.  Ber- 
thelini  hurry  thither  in  quest  of  the  requisite  permission 
for  his  evening's  entertainment;  six  several  times  he 
found  the  official  was  abroad.  Leon  Berthelini  began  to 
grow  quite  a  familiar  figure  in  the  streets  of  Castel-le- 
Gachis;  he  became  a  local  celebrity,  and  was  pointed 
out  as  "  the  man  who  was  looking  for  the  Commissary." 
Idle  children  attached  themselves  to  his  footsteps,  and 
trotted  after  him  back  and  forward  between  the  hotel 
and  the  office.  Leon  might  try  as  he  liked ;  he  might 
roll  cigarettes,  he  might  straddle,  he  might  cock  his  hat 
at  a  dozen  different  jaunty  inclinations  —  the  part  of  Al- 
maviva  was,  under  the  circumstances,  difficult  to  play. 

As  he  passed  the  market-place  upon  the  seventh  ex- 
cursion the  Commissary  was  pointed  out  to  him,  where 
he  stood,  with  his  waistcoat  unbuttoned  and  his  hands 
behind  his  back,  to  superintend  the  sale  and  measure- 
ment of  butter.  Berthelini  threaded  his  way  through 
the  market  stalls  and  baskets,  and  accosted  the  digni- 

351 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

tary  with  a  bow  which  was  a  triumph  of  the  histrionic 
art. 

"I  have  the  honour,"  he  asked,  "of  meeting  M.  le 
Commissaire  ?  " 

The  Commissary  was  affected  by  the  nobility  of  his 
address.  He  excelled  Leon  in  the  depth  if  not  in  the  airy 
grace  of  his  salutation. 

"The  honour,"  said  he,  "is  mine!" 

"I  am,"  continued  the  strolling-player,  "I  am,  sir, 
an  artist,  and  I  have  permitted  myself  to  interrupt  you 
on  an  affair  of  business.  To-night  I  give  a  trifling  musi- 
cal entertainment  at  the  Cafe  of  the  Triumphs  of  the 
Plough  —  permit  me  to  offer  you  this  little  programme 
—  and  I  have  come  to  ask  you  for  the  necessary  author- 
isation." 

At  the  word  "artist,"  the  Commissary  had  replaced 
his  hat  with  the  air  of  a  person  who,  having  conde- 
scended too  far,  should  suddenly  remember  the  duties 
of  his  rank. 

"Go,  go,"  said  he,  "I  am  busy  —  I  am  measuring 
butter." 

"Heathen  Jew!"  thought  Leon.  "Permit  me, 
sir,"  he  resumed,  aloud.  "I  have  gone  six  times  al- 
ready  " 

"Put  up  your  bills  if  you  choose,"  interrupted  the 
Commissary.  "In  an  hour  or  so  I  will  examine  your 
papers  at  the  office.     But  now  go;  I  am  busy." 

"Measuring  butter?"  thought  Berthelini.  "Oh, 
France,  and  it  is  for  this  that  we  made  '93!" 

The  preparations  were  soon  made;  the  bills  posted, 
programmes  laid  on  the  dinner-table  of  every  hotel  in  the 
town,  and  a  stage  erected  at  one  end  of  the  Cafe  of  the 

352 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR 

Triumphs  of  the  Plough ;  but  when  Leon  returned  to 
the  office,  the  Commissary  was  once  more  abroad. 

"  He  is  like  Madame  Benoiton,"  thought  Leon.  "  Fichu 
Commissaire!" 

And  just  then  he  met  the  man  face  to  face. 

"Here,  sir,"  said  he,  "are  my  papers.  Will  you  be 
pleased  to  verify?" 

But  the  Commissary  was  now  intent  upon  dinner. 

"No  use,"  he  replied,  "no  use;  I  am  busy;  I  am 
quite  satisfied.     Give  your  entertainment." 

And  he  hurried  on. 

"Fichu  Commissaire!"  thought  Leon. 


353 


CHAPTER  II 

The  audience  was  pretty  large ;  and  the  proprietor  of 
the  cafe  made  a  good  thing  of  it  in  beer.  But  the  Ber- 
thelinis  exerted  themselves  in  vain. 

Leon  was  radiant  in  velveteen ;  he  had  a  rakish  way 
of  smoking  a  cigarette  between  his  songs  that  was  worth 
money  in  itself;  he  underlined  his  comic  points,  so  that 
the  dullest  numskull  in  Castel-le-Gachis  had  a  notion 
when  to  laugh ;  and  he  handled  his  guitar  in  a  manner 
worthy  of  himself.  Indeed  his  play  with  that  instru- 
ment was  as  good  as  a  whole  romantic  drama;  it  was 
so  dashing,  so  florid,  and  so  cavalier. 

Elvira,  on  the  other  hand,  sang  her  patriotic  and  ro- 
mantic songs  with  more  than  usual  expression;  her 
voice  had  charm  and  plangency ;  and  as  Leon  looked  at 
her,  in  her  low-bodied  maroon  dress,  with  her  arms  bare 
to  the  shoulder,  and  a  red  flower  set  provocatively  in 
her  corset,  he  repeated  to  himself  for  the  many  hun- 
dredth time  that  she  was  one  of  the  loveliest  creatures 
in  the  world  of  women. 

Alas!  when  she  went  round  with  the  tambourine,  the 
golden  youth  of  Castel-le-Gachis  turned  from  her  coldly. 
Here  and  there  a  single  halfpenny  was  forthcoming;  the 
net  result  of  a  collection  never  exceeded  half  a  franc : 

354 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE   GUITAR 

and  the  Maire  himself,  after  seven  different  applications, 
had  contributed  exactly  twopence.  A  certain  chill  be- 
gan to  settle  upon  the  artists  themselves;  it  seemed  as 
if  they  were  singing  to  slugs;  Apollo  himself  might 
have  lost  heart  with  such  an  audience.  The  Berthelinis 
struggled  against  the  impression;  they  put  their  back 
into  their  work,  they  sang  loud  and  louder,  the  guitar 
twanged  like  a  living  thing;  and  at  last  Leon  arose  in 
his  might,  and  burst  with  inimitable  conviction  into  his 
great  song,  "  Y  a  des  bonnetes  gens  par  tout  /  "  Never 
had  he  given  more  proof  of  his  artistic  mastery ;  it  was 
his  intimate,  indefeasible  conviction  that  Castel-le-Gachis 
formed  an  exception  to  the  law  he  was  now  lyrically 
proclaiming,  and  was  peopled  exclusively  by  thieves 
and  bullies ;  and  yet,  as  I  say,  he  flung  it  down  like  a 
challenge,  he  trolled  it  forth  like  an  article  of  faith ;  and 
his  face  so  beamed  the  while  that  you  would  have 
thought  he  must  make  converts  of  the  benches. 

He  was  at  the  top  of  his  register,  with  his  head  thrown 
back  and  his  mouth  open,  when  the  door  was  thrown 
violently  open,  and  a  pair  of  new  comers  marched  noisily 
into  the  cafe.  It  was  the  Commissary  followed  by  the 
Garde  Champetre. 

The  undaunted  Berthelini  still  continued  to  proclaim, 
"Ya  des  honnetes  gens  partout! "  But  now  the  sen- 
timent produced  an  audible  titter  among  the  audience. 
Berthelini  wondered  why ;  he  did  not  know  the  ante- 
cedents of  the  Garde  Champetre ;  he  had  never  heard 
of  a  little  story  about  postage  stamps.  But  the  public 
knew  all  about  the  postage  stamps,  and  enjoyed  the 
coincidence  hugely. 

The  Commissary  planted  himself  upon  a  vacant  chair 
355 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

with  somewhat  the  air  of  Cromwell  visiting  the  Rump, 
and  spoke  in.  occasional  whispers  to  the  Garde  Cham- 
petre,  who  remained  respectfully  standing  at  his  back. 
The  eyes  of  both  were  directed  upon  Berthelini,  who 
persisted  in  his  statement. 

"Ya  des  honnetes  gens  partout,"  he  was  just  chant- 
ing for  the  twentieth  time;  when  up  got  the  Commis- 
sary upon  his  feet  and  waved  brutally  to  the  singer  with 
his  cane. 

"  Is  it  me  you  want  ?"  inquired  Leon,  stopping  in  his 
song. 

"It  is  you,"  replied  the  potentate. 

"Fichu  Commissaire ! "  thought  Leon,  and  he  de- 
scended from  the  stage  and  made  his  way  to  the  func- 
tionary. 

"How  does  it  happen,  sir,"  said  the  Commissary, 
swelling  in  person,  "that  I  find  you  mountebanking  in 
a  public  cafe  without  my  permission  ?" 

"  Without  ?  "  cried  the  indignant  Leon.  ' '  Permit  me 
to  remind  you " 

"Come,  come,  sir! "  said  the  Commissary,  "I  desire 
no  explanations." 

"I  care  nothing  about  what  you  desire,"  returned 
the  singer.  "  I  choose  to  give  them,  and  I  will  not  be 
gagged.  I  am  an  artist,  sir,  a  distinction  that  you  cannot 
comprehend.  I  received  your  permission  and  stand  here 
upon  the  strength  of  it;  interfere  with  me  who  dare." 

"You  have  not  got  my  signature,  I  tell  you,"  cried 
the  Commissary.  "  Show  me  my  signature !  Where 
is  my  signature  ?  " 

That  was  just  the  question ;  where  was  his  signature  ? 
Leon  recognised  that  he  was  in  a  hole;  but  his  spirit 

356 


PROVIDENCE  AND   THE  GUITAR 

rose  with  the  occasion,  and  he  blustered  nobly,  tossing 
back  his  curls.  The  Commissary  played  up  to  him  in 
the  character  of  tyrant;  and  as  the  one  leaned  farther 
forward,  the  other  leaned  farther  back  —  majesty  con- 
fronting fury.  The  audience  had  transferred  their  atten- 
tion to  this  new  performance,  and  listened  with  that 
silent  gravity  common  to  all  Frenchmen  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  police.  Elvira  had  sat  down,  she  was 
used  to  these  distractions,  and  it  was  rather  melancholy 
than  fear  that  now  oppressed  her. 

1 '  Another  word, "  cried  the  Commissary,  ' '  and  I  arrest 
you." 

"  Arrest  me!  "  shouted  Leon.     "  I  defy  you!  " 

"lam  the  Commissary  of  Police,"  said  the  official. 

Leon  commanded  his  feelings,  and  replied,  with  great 
delicacy  of  innuendo 

"  So  it  would  appear." 

The  point  was  too  refined  for  Castel-le-Gachis ;  it  did 
not  raise  a  smile;  and  as  for  the  Commissary,  he  simply 
bade  the  singer  follow  him  to  his  office,  and  directed 
his  proud  footsteps  towards  the  door.  There  was  noth- 
ing for  it  but  to  obey.  Leon  did  so  with  a  proper  pan- 
tomime of  indifference,  but  it  was  a  leek  to  eat,  and 
there  was  no  denying  it. 

The  Maire  had  slipped  out  and  was  already  waiting 
at  the  Commissary's  door.  Now  the  Maire,  in  France, 
is  the  refuge  of  the  oppressed.  He  stands  between  his 
people  and  the  boisterous  rigours  of  the  Police.  He  can 
sometimes  understand  what  is  said  to  him;  he  is  not 
always  puffed  up  beyond  measure  by  his  dignity.  'Tis 
a  thing  worth  the  knowledge  of  travellers.  When  all 
seems  over,  and  a  man  has  made  up  his  mind  to  injus- 

357 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

tice,  he  has  still,  like  the  heroes  of  romance,  a  little  bu- 
gle at  his  belt  whereon  to  blow ;  and  the  Maire,  a  com- 
fortable deus  ex  machina,  may  still  descend  to  deliver 
him  from  the  minions  of  the  law.  The  Maire  of  Castel- 
le-Gachis,  although  inaccessible  to  the  charms  of  music 
as  retailed  by  the  Berthelinis,  had  no  hesitation  what- 
ever as  to  the  rights  of  the  matter.  He  instantly  fell 
foul  of  the  Commissary  in  very  high  terms,  and  the  Com- 
missary, pricked  by  this  humiliation,  accepted  battle  on 
the  point  of  fact.  The  argument  lasted  some  little  while 
with  varying  success,  until  at  length  victory  inclined  so 
plainly  to  the  Commissary's  side  that  the  Maire  was  fain 
to  re-assert  himself  by  an  exercise  of  authority.  He  had 
been  out-argued,  but  he  was  still  the  Maire.  And  so, 
turning  from  his  interlocutor,  he  briefly  but  kindly  recom- 
mended Leon  to  go  back  instanter  to  his  concert. 

"  It  is  already  growing  late,"  he  added. 

Leon  did  not  wait  to  be  told  twice.  He  returned  to 
the  Cafe  of  the  Triumphs  of  the  Plough  with  all  expe- 
dition. Alas  !  the  audience  had  melted  away  during 
his  absence ;  Elvira  was  sitting  in  a  very  disconsolate 
attitude  on  the  guitar-box ;  she  had  watched  the  com- 
pany dispersing  by  twos  and  threes,  and  the  prolonged 
spectacle  had  somewhat  overwhelmed  her  spirits.  Each 
man,  she  reflected,  retired  with  a  certain  proportion  of 
her  earnings  in  his  pockets,  and  she  saw  to-night's 
board  and  to-morrow's  railway  expenses,  and  finally 
even  to-morrow's  dinner,  walk  one  after  another  out  of 
the  cafe  door  and  disappear  into  the  night. 

"What  was  it?"  she  asked,  languidly. 

But  Leon  did  not  answer.  He  was  looking  round' 
him  on  the  scene  of  defeat.     Scarce  a  score  of  listeners 

358 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE   GUITAR 

remained,  and  these  of  the  least  promising  sort.  The 
minute  hand  of  the  clock  was  already  climbing  upward 
towards  eleven. 

"It's  a  lost  battle,"  said  he,  and  then  taking  up  the 
money-box  he  turned  it  out.  "Three  francs  seventy- 
five!"  he  cried,  "as  against  four  of  board  and  six  of 
railway  fares,  and  no  time  for  the  tombola!  Elvira,  this 
is  Waterloo."  And  he  sat  down  and  passed  both  hands 
desperately  among  his  curls.  "  O  Fichu  Commissaire ! '" 
he  cried,  "Fichu  Commissaire!  " 

"  Let  us  get  the  things  together  and  be  off,"  returned 
Elvira.  "We  might  try  another  song,  but  there  is  not 
six  halfpence  in  the  room." 

"  Six  halfpence  ? "  cried  Leon,  "six  hundred  thousand 
devils!  There  is  not  a  human  creature  in  the  town  — 
nothing  but  pigs  and  dogs  and  commissaries!  Pray 
heaven,  we  get  safe  to  bed  ! " 

"Don't  imagine  things!"  exclaimed  Elvira,  with  a 
shudder. 

And  with  that  they  set  to  work  on  their  preparations. 
The  tobacco-jar,  the  cigarette-holder,  the  three  papers 
of  shirt-studs,  which  were  to  have  been  the  prizes  of  the 
tombola  had  the  tombola  come  off,  were  made  into  a 
bundle  with  the  music ;  the  guitar  was  stowed  into  the 
fat  guitar-case;  and  Elvira  having  thrown  a  thin  shawf 
about  her  neck  and  shoulders,  the  pair  issued  from  the 
cafe  and  set  off  for  the  Black  Head. 

As  they  crossed  the  market-place  the  church  bell  rang 
out  eleven.  It  was  a  dark,  mild  night,  and  there  was  no 
one  in  the  streets. 

"It  is  all  very  fine,"  said  Leon:  "but  I  have  a  pre- 
sentiment.    The  night  is  not  yet  done." 

359 


CHAPTER  HI 

The  Black  Head  presented  not  a  single  chink  of  light 
upon  the  street,  and  the  carriage  gate  was  closed. 

"This  is  unprecedented,"  observed  Leon.  "An  inn 
closed  by  five  minutes  after  eleven!  And  there  were 
several  commercial  travellers  in  the  cafe  up  to  a  late 
hour.  Elvira,  my  heart  misgives  me.  Let  us  ring  the 
bell." 

The  bell  had  a  potent  note;  and  being  swung  under 
the  arch  it  filled  the  house  from  top  to  bottom  with 
surly,  clanging  reverberations.  The  sound  accentuated 
the  conventual  appearance  of  the  building;  a  wintry 
sentiment,  a  thought  of  prayer  and  mortification,  took 
hold  upon  Elvira's  mind;  and  as  for  Leon,  he  seemed  to 
be  reading  the  stage  directions  for  a  lugubrious  fifth  act. 

"This  is  your  fault,"  said  Elvira:  "this  is  what  comes 
of  fancying  things ! " 

Again  Leon  pulled  the  bell-rope;  again  the  solemn 
tocsin  awoke  the  echoes  of  the  inn;  and  ere  they  had 
died  away,  a  light  glimmered  in  the  carriage  entrance, 
and  a  powerful  voice  was  heard  upraised  and  tremulous 
with  wrath. 

"What's  all  this  ?  "  cried  the  tragic  host  through  the 
spars  of  the  gate.     "Hard  upon  twelve,  and  you  come 

360 


PROVIDENCE   AND   THE  GUITAR 

clamouring  like  Prussians  at  the  door  of  a  respectable 
hotel  ?  Oh!  "  he  cried,  "  I  know  you  now!  Common 
singers!  People  in  trouble  with  the  police!  And  you 
present  yourselves  at  midnight  like  lords  and  ladies  ? 
Be  off  with  you!" 

"  You  will  permit  me  to  remind  you,"  said  Leon,  in 
thrilling  tones,  "that  I  am  a  guest  in  your  house,  that 
I  am  properly  inscribed,  and  that  I  have  deposited  bag- 
gage to  the  value  of  four  hundred  francs." 

"You  cannot  get  in  at  this  hour,"  returned  the  man. 
"This is  no  thieves'  tavern,  for  mohocks  and  night  rakes 
and  organ-grinders." 

"  Brute!  "  cried  Elvira,  for  the  organ-grinders  touched 
her  home. 

"Then  I  demand  my  baggage,"  said  Leon,  with  una- 
bated dignity. 

"I  know  nothing  of  your  baggage,"  replied  the  land- 
lord. 

"You  detain  my  baggage?  You  dare  to  detain  my 
baggage  ?  "  cried  the  singer. 

"Who  are  you  ?  "  returned  the  landlord.    "  It  is  dark 

—  I  cannot  recognise  you." 

1 '  Very  well,  then — you  detain  my  baggage, "  concluded 
Leon.  "  You  shall  smart  for  this.  I  will  weary  out  your 
life  with  persecutions;  I  will  drag  you  from  court  to 
court;  if  there  is  justice  to  be  had  in  France,  it  shall  be 
rendered  between  you  and  me.  And  I  will  make  you  a 
by-word  —  I  will  put  you  in  a  song  —  a  scurrilous  song 

—  an  indecent  song  —  a  popular  song  —  which  the  boys 
shall  sing  to  you  in  the  street,  and  come  and  howl 
through  these  spars  at  midnight! " 

He  had  gone  on  raising  his  voice  at  every  phrase,  for 
361 


NEW   ARABIAN  NIGHTS 

all  the  while  the  landlord  was  very  placidly  retiring;  and 
now,  when  the  last  glimmer  of  light  had  vanished  from 
the  arch,  and  the  last  footstep  died  away  in  the  interior, 
Leon  turned  to  his  wife  with  a  heroic  countenance. 

"  Elvira,"  said  he,  "I  have  now  a  duty  in  life.  I  shall 
destroy  that  man  as  Eugene  Sue  destroyed  the  concierge. 
Let  us  come  at  once  to  the  Gendarmerie  and  begin  our 
vengeance." 

He  picked  up  the  guitar-case,  which  had  been  propped 
against  the  wall,  and  they  set  forth  through  the  silent 
and  ill-lighted  town  with  burning  hearts. 

The  Gendarmerie  was  concealed  beside  the  telegraph 
office  at  the  bottom  of  a  vast  court,  which  was  partly 
laid  out  in  gardens ;  and  here  all  the  shepherds  of  the 
public  lay  locked  in  grateful  sleep.  It  took  a  deal  of 
knocking  to  waken  one;  and  he,  when  he  came  at  last 
to  the  door,  could  find  no  other  remark  but  that  "it 
was  none  of  his  business."  Leon  reasoned  with  him, 
threatened  him,  besought  him ;  here,  he  said,  was  Ma- 
dame Berthelini  in  evening  dress  —  a  delicate  woman 
—  in  an  interesting  condition  —  the  last  was  thrown 
in,  I  fancy,  for  effect;  and  to  all  this  the  man-at-arms 
made  the  same  answer: 

"  It  is  none  of  my  business,"  said  he. 

"Very  well,"  said  Leon,  "then  we  shall  go  to  the 
Commissary."  Thither  they  went;  the  office  was  closed 
and  dark ;  but  the  house  was  close  by,  and  Leon  was 
soon  swinging  the  bell  like  a  madman.  The  Commis- 
sary's wife  appeared  at  a  window.  She  was  a  thread- 
paper  creature,  and  informed  them  that  the  Commissary 
had  not  yet  come  home. 

"Is  he  at  the  Maire's  ?"  demanded  Leon. 
362 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR 

She  thought  that  was  not  unlikely. 

"  Where  is  the  Maire's  house  ?"  he  asked. 

And  she  gave  him  some  rather  vague  information  on 
that  point. 

' 'Stay  you  here,  Elvira,"  said  Leon,  "lest  I  should 
miss  him  by  the  way.  If,  when  I  return,  I  find  you 
here  no  longer,  I  shall  follow  at  once  to  the  Black 
Head/' 

And  he  set  out  to  find  the  Maire's.  It  took  him  some 
ten  minutes  wandering  among  blind  lanes,  and  when 
he  arrived  it  was  already  half  an  hour  past  midnight.  A 
long  white  garden  wall  overhung  by  some  thick  chest- 
nuts, a  door  with  a  letter-box,  and  an  iron  bell-pull, 
that  was  all  that  could  be  seen  of  the  Maire's  domicile. 
Leon  took  the  bell-pull  in  both  hands,  and  danced  furi- 
ously upon  the  sidewalk.  The  bell  itself  was  just  upon 
the  other  side  of  the  wall,  it  responded  to  his  activity, 
and  scattered  an  alarming  clangour  far  and  wide  into  the 
night. 

A  window  was  thrown  open  in  a  house  across  the 
street,  and  a  voice  inquired  the  cause  of  this  untimely 
uproar. 

"I  wish  the  Maire,"  said  Leon. 

"  He  has  been  in  bed  this  hour,"  returned  the  voice. 

"  He  must  get  up  again,"  retorted  Leon,  and  he  was 
for  tackling  the  bell-pull  once  more. 

"You  will  never  make  him  hear,"  responded  the 
voice.  "The  garden  is  of  great  extent,  the  house  is  at 
the  farther  end,  and  both  the  Maire  and  his  housekeeper 
are  deaf." 

"Aha!  "  said  Leon,  pausing.  "The  Maire  is  deaf,  is 
he?   That  explains."    And  he  thought  of  the  evening's 

363 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

concert  with  a  momentary  feeling  of  relief.  "  Ah !  "  he 
continued,  "and  so  the  Maire  is  deaf,  and  the  garden 
vast,  and  the  house  at  the  far  end  ?" 

"And  you  might  ring  all  night,"  added  the  voice, 
"and  be  none  the  better  for  it.  You  would  only  keep 
me  awake." 

' '  Thank  you,  neighbour, "  replied  the  singer.  ' '  Yc  \ 
shall  sleep." 

And  he  made  off  again  at  his  best  pace  for  the  Com- 
missary's. Elvira  was  still  walking  to  and  fro  before 
the  door. 

"  He  has  not  come  ?  "  asked  Leon. 

"Not  he,"  she  replied.  , 

"Good,"  returned  Leon.  "I  am  sure  our  man's  in- 
side. Let  me  see  the  guitar-case.  I  shall  lay  this  siege 
in  form,  Elvira;  I  am  angry;  I  am  indignant;  I  am  trucu- 
lently inclined ;  but  I  thank  my  Maker  I  have  still  a  sense 
of  fun.  The  unjust  judge  shall  be  importuned  in  a  sere- 
nade, Elvira.     Set  him  up  —  and  set  him  up." 

He  had  the  case  opened  by  this  time,  struck  a  few 
chords,  and  fell  into  an  attitude  which  was  irresistibly 
Spanish. 

"Now,"  he  continued,  "feel  your  voice.  Are  you 
ready?    Follow  me!" 

The  guitar  twanged,  and  the  two  voices  upraised,  in 
harmony  and  with  a  startling  loudness,  the  chorus  of  a 
song  of  old  Beranger's :  — 

"  Commissaire  !  Commissaire  ! 
Colin  bat  sa  menagere." 

The  stones  of  Castel-le-Gachis  thrilled  at  this  auda- 
cious innovation.    Hitherto  had  the  night  been  sacred  to 

364 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE   GUITAR 

repose  and  nightcaps;  and  now  what  was  this  r  Win- 
dow after  window  was  opened ;  matches  scratched,  and 
candles  began  to  flicker;  swollen  sleepy  faces  peered 
forth  into  the  starlight.  There  were  two  figures  before 
the  Commissary's  house,  each  bolt  upright,  with  head 
thrown  back  and  eyes  interrogating  the  starry  heavens ; 
the  guitar  wailed,  shouted,  and  reverberated  like  half  an 
orchestra;  and  the  voices,  with  a  crisp  and  spirited  de- 
livery, hurled  the  appropriate  burden  at  the  Commis- 
sary's window.  All  the  echoes  repeated  the  function- 
ary's name.  It  was  more  like  an  entr'acte  in  a  farce  of 
Moliere's  than  a  passage  of  real  life  in  Castel-le-Gachis. 

The  Commissary,  if  he  was  not  the  first,  was  not  the 
last  of  the  neighbours  to  yield  to  the  influence  of  music, 
and  furiously  throw  open  the  window  of  his  bedroom. 
He  was  beside  himself  with  rage.  He  leaned  far  over 
the  window-sill,  raving  and  gesticulating;  the  tassel  of 
his  white  nightcap  danced  like  a  thing  of  life ;  he  opened 
his  mouth  to  dimensions  hitherto  unprecedented,  and  yet 
his  voice,  instead  of  escaping  from  it  in  a  roar,  came  forth 
shrill  and  choked  and  tottering.  A  little  more  serenad- 
ing, and  it  was  clear  he  would  be  better  acquainted  with 
the  apoplexy. 

I  scorn  to  reproduce  his  language;  he  touched  upon 
too  many  serious  topics  by  the  way  for  a  quiet  story- 
teller. Although  he  was  known  for  a  man  who  was 
prompt  with  his  tongue,  and  had  a  power  of  strong  ex- 
pression at  command,  he  excelled  himself  so  remark- 
ably this  night,  that  one  maiden  lady,  who  had  got  out 
of  bed  like  the  rest  to  hear  the  serenade,  was  obliged 
to  shut  her  window  at  the  second  clause.  Even  what 
she  had  heard  disquieted  her  conscience;  and  next  day 

365 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

she  said  she  scarcely  reckoned  as  a  maiden  lady  any 
longer. 

Leon  tried  to  explain  his  predicament,  but  he  received 
nothing  but  threats  of  arrest  by  way  of  answer. 

"  If  I  come  down  to  you!  "  cried  the  Commissary. 

"  Aye,"  said  Leon,  "do!" 

M I  will  not!  "  cried  the  Commissary. 

"You  dare  not!  "  answered  Leon. 

At  that  the  Commissary  closed  his  window. 

"All  is  over,"  said  the  singer.  "The  serenade  was 
perhaps  ill-judged.  These  boors  have  no  sense  of  hu- 
mour." 

"Let  us  get  away  from  here,"  said  Elvira,  with  a 
shiver.  "All  these  people  looking  —  it  is  so  rude  and  so 
brutal."  And  then  giving  way  once  more  to  passion  — 
"Brutes!  "she  cried  aloud  to  the  candle-lit  spectators 
—  * '  brutes !  brutes !  brutes !  " 

"Sauve  qui  peut,"  said  Leon.  "You  have  done  it 
now!" 

And  taking  the  guitar  in  one  hand  and  the  case  in  the 
other,  he  led  the  way  with  something  too  precipitate  to 
be  merely  called  precipitation  from  the  scene  of  this 
absurd  adventure. 


&> 


CHAPTER  IV 

To  the  west  of  Castel-le-Gachis  four  rows  of  venerable 
lime-trees  formed,  in  this  starry  night,  a  twilit  avenue 
with  two  side  aisles  of  pitch  darkness.  Here  and  there 
stone  benches  were  disposed  between  the  trunks.  There 
was  not  a  breath  of  wind ;  a  heavy  atmosphere  of  per- 
fume hung  about  the  alleys ;  and  every  leaf  stood  stock- 
still  upon  its  twig.  Hither,  after  vainly  knocking  at  an 
inn  or  two,  the  Berthelinis  came  at  length  to  pass  the 
night.  After  an  amiable  contention,  Leon  insisted  on 
giving  his  coat  to  Elvira,  and  they  sat  down  together  on 
the  first  bench  in  silence.  Leon  made  a  cigarette,  which 
he  smoked  to  an  end,  looking  up  into  the  trees,  and, 
beyond  them,  at  the  constellations,  of  which  he  tried 
vainly  to  recall  the  names.  The  silence  was  broken  by 
the  church  bell;  it  rang  the  four  quarters  on  a  light  and 
tinkling  measure;  then  followed  a  single  deep  stroke 
that  died  slowly  away  with  a  thrill;  and  stillness  re- 
sumed its  empire. 

"One,"  said  Leon.  "  Four  hours  till  daylight.  It  is 
warm ;  it  is  starry ;  I  have  matches  and  tobacco.  Do 
not  let  us  exaggerate,  Elvira  —  the  experience  is  posi- 
tively charming.  I  feel  a  glow  within  me;  I  am  born 
again.  This  is  the  poetry  of  life.  Think  of  Cooper's 
novels,  my  dear." 

367 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

"  Leon,"  she  said,  fiercely,  "how  can  you  talk  such 
wicked,  infamous  nonsense  ?  To  pass  all  night  out  of 
doors  —  it  is  like  a  nightmare  !     We  shall  die." 

"You  suffer  yourself  to  be  led  away,"  he  replied, 
soothingly.  "  It  is  not  unpleasant  here ;  only  you  brood. 
Come,  now,  let  us  repeat  a  scene.  Shall  we  try  Alceste 
and  Celimene  ?  No  ?  Or  a  passage  from  the  '  Two 
Orphans  ? '  Come,  now,  it  will  occupy  your  mind ;  I 
will  play  up  to  you  as  I  never  have  played  before ;  I  feel 
art  moving  in  my  bones." 

"  Hold  your  tongue,"  she  cried,  "  or  you  will  drive 
me  mad!  Will  nothing  solemnise  you  —  not  even  this 
hideous  situation  ?  " 

"Oh,  hideous!"  objected  Leon.  "Hideous  is  not 
the  word.  Why,  where  would  you  be  ?  '  Dites,  la 
jeune  belle,  ou  voulez-vouz  aller  ? '  "  he  carolled.  ' '  Well, 
now,"  he  went  on,  opening  the  guitar-case,  "there's 
another  idea  for  you  —  sing.  Sing  '  Dites,  la  jeune  belle ! ' 
It  will  compose  your  spirits,  Elvira,  I  am  sure." 

And  without  waiting  an  answer  he  began  to  strum 
the  symphony.  The  first  chords  awoke  a  young  man 
who  was  lying  asleep  upon  a  neighbouring  bench. 

1 '  Hullo !  "  cried  the  young  man,  ■ '  who  are  you  ?  " 

"  Under  which  king,  Bezonian  ?  "  declaimed  the  artist. 
"Speak  or  die!" 

Or  if  it  was  not  exactly  that,  it  was  something  to  much 
the  same  purpose  from  a  French  tragedy. 

The  young  man  drew  near  in  the  twilight.  He  was 
a  tall,  powerful,  gentlemanly  fellow,  with  a  somewhat 
puffy  face,  dressed  in  a  gray  tweed  suit,  with  a  deer- 
stalker hat  of  the  same  material ;  and  as  he  now  came 
forward  he  carried  a  knapsack  slung  upon  one  arm. 

368 


PROVIDENCE   AND  THE  GUITAR 

"  Are  you  camping  out  here,  too  ?"  he  asked,  with  a 
strong  English  accent.     ' '  I'm  not  sorry  for  company. " 

Leon  explained  their  misadventure ;  and  the  other  told 
them  that  he  was  a  Cambridge  undergraduate  on  a  walk- 
ing tour,  that  he  had  run  short  of  money,  could  no  longer 
pay  for  his  night's  lodging,  had  already  been  camping 
out  for  two  nights,  and  feared  he  should  require  to  con- 
tinue the  same  manoeuvre  for  at  least  two  nights  more. 

"  Luckily,  it's  jolly  weather,"  he  concluded. 

"You  hear  that,  Elvira,"  said  Leon.  "  Madame  Ber- 
thelini,"  he  went  on,  "is  ridiculously  affected  by  this 
trifling  occurrence.  For  my  part,  I  find  it  romantic  and 
far  from  uncomfortable;  or  at  least,"  he  added,  shifting 
on  the  stone  bench,  "not  quite  so  uncomfortable  as 
might  have  been  expected.     But  pray  be  seated." 

"Yes,"  returned  the  undergraduate,  sitting  down, 
"it's  rather  nice  than  otherwise  when  once  you're  used 
to  it;  only  it's  devilish  difficult  to  get  washed.  I  like 
the  fresh  air  and  these  stars  and  things." 

"  Aha! "  said  Leon,  "  Monsieur  is  an  artist." 

"  An  artist?"  returned  the  other,  with  a  blank  stare. 
"Not  if  I  know  it!" 

"  Pardon  me,"  said  the  actor.  "  What  you  said  this 
moment  about  the  orbs  of  heaven " 

"Oh,  nonsense!"  cried  the  Englishman.  "A  fellow 
may  admire  the  stars  and  be  anything  he  likes." 

"You  have  an  artist's  nature,  however,  Mr.  I 

beg  your  pardon ;  may  I,  without  indiscretion,  inquire 
your  name  ?  "  asked  Leon. 

"My  name  is  Stubbs,"  replied  the  Englishman. 

"I  thank  you,"  returned  Leon.  "Mine  is  Berthelini 
—  Leon  Berthelini,  ex-artist  of  the  theatres  of  Montrouge, 

369 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

Belleville,  and  Montmartre.  Humbleasyou  see  me,  I  have 
created  with  applause  more  than  one  important  role.  The 
Press  were  unanimous  in  praise  of  my  Howling  Devil  of 
the  Mountains,  in  the  piece  of  the  same  name.  Madame, 
whom  I  now  present  to  you,  is  herself  an  artist,  and  I  must 
not  omit  to  state,  a  better  artist  than  her  husband.  She  also 
is  a  creator ;  she  created  nearly  twenty  successful  songs 
at  one  of  the  principal  Parisian  music-halls.  But,  to  con- 
tinue, I  was  saying  you  had  an  artist's  nature,  Monsieur 
Stubbs,  and  you  must  permit  me  to  be  a  judge  in  such 
a  question.  I  trust  you  will  not  falsify  your  instincts; 
let  me  beseech  you  to  follow  the  career  of  an  artist." 

1 '  Thank  you, "  returned  Stubbs,  with  a  chuckle.  ' '  I'm 
going  to  be  a  banker." 

"No,"  said  Leon,  "do  not  say  so.  Not  that.  A  man 
with  such  a  nature  as  yours  should  not  derogate  so  far. 
What  are  a  few  privations  here  and  there,  so  long  as  you 
are  working  for  a  high  and  noble  goal  ?  " 

" This  fellow's  mad,"  thought  Stubbs;  "but  the  wo- 
man's rather  pretty,  and  he's  not  bad  fun  for  himself,  if 
you  come  to  that."  What  he  said  was  different.  "I 
thought  you  said  you  were  an  actor  ?  " 

"I  certainly  did  so,"  replied  Leon.  "I  am  one,  or, 
alas!  I  was." 

"  And  so  you  want  me  to  be  an  actor,  do  you  ?  "  con- 
tinued the  undergraduate.  "Why,  man,  I  could  never 
so  much  as  learn  the  stuff ;  my  memory's  like  a  sieve ; 
and  as  for  acting,  I've  no  more  idea  than  a  cat." 

"The  stage  is  not  the  only  course,"  said  Leon.  "  Be 
a  sculptor,  be  a  dancer,  be  a  poet  or  a  novelist ;  folio w 
your  heart,  in  short,  and  do  some  thorough  work  before 
you  die." 

370 


PROVIDENCE   AND  THE  GUITAR 

"And  do  you  call  these  things  art  ?  "  inquired  Stubbs. 

"Why,  certainly!"  returned  Leon.  "Are  they  not 
all  branches  ?  " 

"Oh!  I  didn't  know,"  replied  the  Englishman.  "I 
thought  an  artist  meant  a  fellow  who  painted." 

The  singer  stared  at  him  in  some  surprise. 

"It  is  the  difference  of  language,"  he  said  at  last. 
' '  This  Tower  of  Babel,  when  shall  we  have  paid  for  it  ?  If 
I  could  speak  English  you  would  follow  me  more  readily. " 

"  Between  you  and  me,  I  don't  believe  I  should,"  re- 
plied the  other.  "You  seem  to  have  thought  a  devil 
of  a  lot  about  this  business.  For  my  part,  I  admire  the 
stars,  and  like  to  have  them  shining — it's  so  cheery  — 
but  hang  me  if  I  had  an  idea  it  had  anything  to  do  with 
art!  It's  not  in  my  line,  you  see.  I'm  not  intellectual; 
I  have  no  end  of  trouble  to  scrape  through  my  exams., 
I  can  tell  you!  But  I'm  not  a  bad  sort  at  bottom,"  he 
added,  seeing  his  interlocutor  looked  distressed  even  in 
the  dim  starshine,  "and  I  rather  like  the  play,  and  music, 
and  guitars,  and  things." 

Leon  had  a  perception  that  the  understanding  was  in- 
complete.    He  changed  the  subject. 

"  And  so  you  travel  on  foot  ?"  he  continued.  "  How 
romantic !  How  courageous !  And  how  are  you  pleased 
with  my  land  ?  How  does  the  scenery  affect  you  among 
these  wild  hills  of  ours  ?" 

"Well,  the  fact  is,"  began  Stubbs  —  he  was  about  to 
say  that  he  didn't  care  for  scenery,  which  was  not  at  all 
true,  being,  on  the  contrary,  only  an  athletic  undergrad- 
uate pretension ;  but  he  had  begun  to  suspect  that  Ber- 
thelini  liked  a  different  sort  of  meat,  and  substituted 
something  else  —  "The  fact  is,  I  think  it  jolly.     They 

37« 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

told  me  it  was  no  good  up  here;  even  the  guide-book 
said  so ;  but  I  don't  know  what  they  meant.  I  think 
it  is  deuced  pretty  —  upon  my  word,  I  do." 

At  this  moment,  in  the  most  unexpected  manner,  El- 
vira burst  into  tears. 

"  My  voice !  "  she  cried.  "  Leon,  if  I  stay  here  longer 
I  shall  lose  my  voice!" 

"You  shall  not  stay  another  moment,"  cried  the  actor. 
"  If  I  have  to  beat  in  a  door,  if  I  have  to  burn  the  town, 
I  shall  find  you  shelter." 

With  that,  he  replaced  the  guitar,  and  comforting  her 
with  some  caresses,  drew  her  arm  through  his. 

"Monsieur  Stubbs,"  said  he,  taking  off  his  hat,  "the 
reception  I  offer  you  is  rather  problematical ;  but  let  me 
beseech  you  to  give  us  the  pleasure  of  your  society. 
You  are  a  little  embarrassed  for  the  moment ;  you  must, 
indeed,  permit  me  to  advance  what  may  be  necessary. 
I  ask  it  as  a  favour;  we  must  not  part  so  soon  after  hav- 
ing met  so  strangely." 

"Oh,  come,  you  know,"  said  Stubbs,  "I  can't  let  a 
fellow  like  you "  And  there  he  paused,  feeling  some- 
how or  other  on  a  wrong  tack. 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  employ  menaces,"  continued  Leon, 
with  a  smile;  "  but  if  you  refuse,  indeed  I  shall  not  take 
it  kindly." 

"I  don't  quite  see  my  way  out  of  it,"  thought  the  un- 
dergraduate ;  and  then,  after  a  pause,  he  said,  aloud  and 
ungraciously  enough,  "All  right.  I  —  I'm  very  much 
obliged,  of  course."  And  he  proceeded  to  follow  them, 
thinking  in  his  heart,  "  But  it's  bad  form,  all  the  same, 
to  force  an  obligation  on  a  fellow. " 


372 


CHAPTER  V 

Leon  strode  ahead  as  if  he  knew  exactly  where  he 
was  going ;  the  sobs  of  Madame  were  still  faintly  audi- 
ble, and  no  one  uttered  a  word.  A  dog  barked  furiously 
in  a  court-yard  as  they  went  by ;  then  the  church  clock 
struck  two,  and  many  domestic  clocks  followed  or  pre- 
ceded it  in  piping  tones.  And  just  then  Berthelini  spied 
a  light.  It  burned  in  a  small  house  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  town,  and  thither  the  party  now  directed  their  steps. 

"  It  is  always  a  chance,"  said  Leon. 

The  house  in  question  stood  back  from  the  street  be- 
hind an  open  space,  part  garden,  part  turnip  field ;  and 
several  outhouses  stood  forward  from  either  wing  at 
right  angles  to  the  front.  One  of  these  had  recently 
undergone  some  change.  An  enormous  window,  look- 
ing towards  the  north,  had  been  effected  in  the  wall  and 
roof,  and  Leon  began  to  hope  it  was  a  studio. 

"  If  it's  only  a  painter,"  he  said,  with  a  chuckle,  "ten 
to  one  we  get  as  good  a  welcome  as  we  want." 

"I  thought  painters  were  principally  poor,"  said 
Stubbs. 

"  Ah,"  cried  Leon,  "you  do  not  know  the  world  as  I 
do.     The  poorer  the  better  for  us." 

And  the  trio  advanced  into  the  turnip  field. 

373 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

The  light  was  in  the  ground  floor;  as  one  window 
was  brightly  illuminated  and  two  others  more  faintly, 
it  might  be  supposed  that  there  was  a  single  lamp  in 
one  corner  of  a  large  apartment;  and  a  certain  tremu- 
lousness  and  temporary  dwindling  showed  that  a  live 
fire  contributed  to  the  effect.  The  sound  of  a  voice  now 
became  audible ;  and  the  trespassers  paused  to  listen.  It 
was  pitched  in  a  high,  angry  key,  but  had  still  a  good, 
full,  and  masculine  note  in  it.  The  utterance  was  voluble, 
too  voluble  even  to  be  quite  distinct;  a  stream  of  words, 
rising  and  falling,  with  ever  and  again  a  phrase  thrown 
out  by  itself,  as  if  the  speaker  reckoned  on  its  virtue. 

Suddenly  another  voice  joined  in.  This  time  it  was 
a  woman's;  and  if  the  man  were  angry,  the  woman  was 
incensed  to  the  degree  of  fury.  There  was  that  abso- 
lutely blank  composure  known  to  suffering  males;  that 
colourless  unnatural  speech  which  shows  a  spirit  accu- 
rately balanced  between  homicide  and  hysterics;  the 
tone  in  which  the  best  of  women  sometimes  utter  words 
worse  than  death  to  those  most  dear  to  them.  If  Ab- 
stract Bones-and-Sepulchre  were  to  be  endowed  with 
the  gift  of  speech,  thus,  and  not  otherwise,  would  it  dis- 
course. Leon  was  a  brave  man,  and  I  fear  he  was  some- 
what sceptically  given  (he  had  been  educated  in  a  Papis- 
tical country),  but  the  habit  of  childhood  prevailed,  and 
he  crossed  himself  devoutly.  He  had  met  several  wo- 
men in  his  career.  It  was  obvious  that  his  instinct  had 
not  deceived  him,  for  the  male  voice  broke  forth  instantly 
in  a  towering  passion. 

The  undergraduate,  who  had  not  understood  the  sig- 
nificance of  the  woman's  contribution,  pricked  up  his 
ears  at  the  change  upon  the  man. 

374 


PROVIDENCE   AND   THE   GUITAR 

" There's  going  to  be  a  free  fight,"  he  opined. 

There  was  another  retort  from  the  woman,  still  calm 
but  a  little  higher. 

"  Hysterics  ?"  asked  Leon  of  his  wife.  "  Is  that  the 
stage  direction  ?" 

"How  should  I  know?"  returned  Elvira,  somewhat 
tartly. 

'  *  Oh,  woman,  woman ! "  said  Leon,  beginning  to  open 
the  guitar-case.  "It  is  one  of  the  burdens  of  my  life, 
Monsieur  Stubbs;  they  support  each  other;  they  always 
pretend  there  is  no  system ;  they  say  it's  nature.  Even 
Madame  Berthelini,  who  is  a  dramatic  artist! " 

"You  are  heartless,  Leon,"  said  Elvira;  "that  wo- 
man is  in  trouble." 

"And  the  man,  my  angel  ?  "  inquired  Berthelini,  pass- 
ing the  ribbon  of  his  guitar.    '  'And  the  man,  m' amour  ?  " 

"  He  is  a  man,"  she  answered. 

1 '  You  hear  that  ?  "  said  Leon  to  Stubbs.  "  It  is  not  too 
late  for  you.  Mark  the  intonation.  And  now,"  he  con- 
tinued, "  what  are  we  to  give  them  ?" 

"Are  you  going  to  sing ? "  asked  Stubbs. 

"lama  troubadour,"  replied  Leon.  "  I  claim  a  wel- 
come by  and  for  my  art.  If  I  were  a  banker  could  I  do 
as  much  ?" 

"  Well,  you  wouldn't  need,  you  know,"  answered  the 
undergraduate. 

"Egad,"  said  Leon,  "but  that's  true.  Elvira,  that 
is  true." 

"  Of  course  it  is,"  she  replied.  "  Did  you  not  know 
it?" 

"My  dear,"  answered  Leon,  impressively,  "I  know 
nothing  but  what  is  agreeable.     Even  my  knowledge 

375 


NEW  ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

of  life  is  a  work  of  art  superiorly  composed.  But  what 
are  we  to  give  them  ?  It  should  be  something  appro- 
priate." 

Visions  of  "  Let  dogs  delight "  passed  through  the  un- 
dergraduate's mind ;  but  it  occurred  to  him  that  the  po- 
etry was  English  and  that  he  did  not  know  the  air. 
Hence  he  contributed  no  suggestion. 

"Something  about  our  houselessness,"  said  Elvira. 

"I  have  it,"  cried  Leon.  And  he  broke  forth  into  a 
song  of  Pierre  Dupont's : — 

Savez-vous  011  gite 
Mai,  ce  joli  mois  ? 

Elvira  joined  in ;  so  did  Stubbs,  with  a  good  ear  and 
voice,  but  an  imperfect  acquaintance  with  the  music. 
Leon  and  the  guitar  were  equal  to  the  situation.  The 
actor  dispensed  his  throat-notes  with  prodigality  and 
enthusiasm ;  and,  as  he  looked  up  to  heaven  in  his  he- 
roic way,  tossing  the  black  ringlets,  it  seemed  to  him 
that  the  very  stars  contributed  a  dumb  applause  to  his 
efforts,  and  the  universe  lent  him  its  silence  for  a  chorus. 
That  is  one  of  the  best  features  of  the  heavenly  bodies, 
that  they  belong  to  everybody  in  particular ;  and  a  man 
like  Leon,  a  chronic  Endymion  who  managed  to  get 
along  without  encouragement,  is  always  the  world's 
centre  for  himself. 

He  alone  —  and  it  is  to  be  noted,  he  was  the  worst 
singer  of  the  three  —  took  the  music  seriously  to  heart, 
and  judged  the  serenade  from  a  high  artistic  point  of 
view.  Elvira,  on  the  other  hand,  was  preoccupied  about 
their  reception;  and,  as  for  Stubbs,  he  considered  the 
whole  affair  in  the  light  of  a  broad  joke. 

376 


PROVIDENCE  AND   THE  GUITAR 

"  Know  you  the  lair  of  May,  the  lovely  month  ?  "  went 
the  three  voices  in  the  turnip-field. 

The  inhabitants  were  plainly  fluttered ;  the  light  moved 
to  and  fro,  strengthening  in  one  window,  paling  in  an- 
other; and  then  the  door  was  thrown  open,  and  a  man 
in  a  blouse  appeared  on  the  threshold  carrying  a  lamp. 
He  was  a  powerful  young  fellow,  with  bewildered  hair 
and  beard,  wearing  his  neck  open;  his  blouse  was 
stained  with  oil-colours  in  a  harlequinesque  disorder; 
and  there  was  something  rural  in  the  droop  and  baggi- 
ness  of  his  belted  trousers. 

From  immediately  behind  him,  and  indeed  over  his 
shoulder,  a  woman's  face  looked  out  into  the  darkness ; 
it  was  pale  and  a  little  weary,  although  still  young ;  it 
wore  a  dwindling,  disappearing  prettiness,  soon  to  be 
quite  gone,  and  the  expression  was  both  gentle  and  sour, 
and  reminded  one  faintly  of  the  taste  of  certain  drugs. 
For  all  that,  it  was  not  a  face  to  dislike ;  when  the  pret- 
tiness had  vanished,  it  seemed  as  if  a  certain  pale  beauty 
might  step  in  to  take  its  place;  and  as  both  the  mildness 
and  the  asperity  were  characters  of  youth,  it  might  be 
hoped  that,  with  years,  both  would  merge  into  a  con- 
stant, brave,  and  not  unkindly  temper. 

"  What  is  all  this  ?"  cried  the  man. 


377 


CHAPTER  VI 

Leon  had  his  hat  in  his  hand  at  once.  He  came  for- 
ward with  his  customary  grace;  it  was  a  moment  which 
would  have  earned  him  a  round  of  cheering  on  the 
stage.  Elvira  and  Stubbs  advanced  behind  him,  like  a 
couple  of  Admetus's  sheep  following  the  god  Apollo. 

"  Sir,"  said  Leon,  "the  hour  is  unpardonably  late,  and 
our  little  serenade  has  the  air  of  an  impertinence.  Believe 
me,  sir,  it  is  an  appeal.  Monsieur  is  an  artist,  I  perceive. 
We  are  here  three  artists  benighted  and  without  shelter, 
one  a  woman  —  a  delicate  woman  —  in  evening  dress  — 
in  an  interesting  situation.  This  will  not  fail  to  touch 
the  woman's  heart  of  Madame,  whom  I  perceive  indis- 
tinctly behind  Monsieur  her  husband,  and  whose  face 
speaks  eloquently  of  a  well-regulated  mind.  Ah !  Mon- 
sieur, Madame — one  generous  movement,  and  you  make 
three  people  happy !  Two  or  three  hours  beside  your 
fire  —  I  ask  it  of  Monsieur  in  the  name  of  Art —  I  ask  it 
of  Madame  by  the  sanctity  of  womanhood." 

The  two,  as  by  a  tacit  consent,  drew  back  from  the 
door. 

"Come  in,"  said  the  man. 

"Entrez,  Madame,"  said  the  woman. 

The  door  opened  directly  upon  the  kitchen  of  the 
W8 


PROVIDENCE  AND   THE  GUITAR 

house,  which  was  to  all  appearance  the  only  sitting- 
room.  The  furniture  was  both  plain  and  scanty;  but 
there  were  one  or  two  landscapes  on  the  wall  hand- 
somely framed,  as  if  they  had  already  visited  the  com- 
mittee rooms  of  an  exhibition  and  been  thence  extruded. 
Leon  walked  up  to  the  pictures  and  represented  the  part 
of  a  connoisseur  before  each  in  turn,  with  his  usual  dra- 
matic insight  and  force.  The  master  of  the  house,  as 
if  irresistibly  attracted,  followed  him  from  canvas  to 
canvas  with  the  lamp.  Elvira  was  led  directly  to  the 
fire,  where  she  proceeded  to  warm  herself,  while  Stubbs 
stood  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  and  followed  the  pro- 
ceedings of  Leon  with  mild  astonishment  in  his  eyes. 

"  You  should  see  them  by  daylight,"  said  the  artist. 

"I  promise  myself  that  pleasure,"  said  Leon.  ''You 
possess,  sir,  if  you  will  permit  me  an  observation,  the 
art  of  composition  to  a  T." 

"You  are  very  good,"  returned  the  other.  "But 
should  you  not  draw  nearer  to  the  fire  ?  " 

M  With  all  my  heart,"  said  Leon. 

And  the  whole  party  soon  gathered  at  the  table  over 
a  hasty  and  not  an  elegant  cold  supper,  washed  down 
with  the  least  of  small  wines.  Nobody  liked  the  meal, 
but  nobody  complained;  they  put  a  good  face  upon  it, 
one  and  all,  and  made  a  great  clattering  of  knives  and 
forks.  To  see  Leon  eating  a  single  cold  sausage  was  to 
see  a  triumph ;  by  the  time  he  had  done  he  had  got 
through  as  much  pantomime  as  would  have  sufficed  for 
a  baron  of  beef,  and  he  had  the  relaxed  expression  of 
the  over-eaten. 

As  Elvira  had  naturally  taken  a  place  by  the  side  of 
Leon,  and  Stubbs  as  naturally,  although  I  believe  un- 

379 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

consciously,  by  the  side  of  Elvira,  the  host  and  hostess 
were  left  together.  Yet  it  was  to  be  noted  that  they 
never  addressed  a  word  to  each  other,  nor  so  much  as 
suffered  their  eyes  to  meet.  The  interrupted  skirmish 
still  survived  in  ill  feeling;  and  the  instant  the  guests 
departed  it  would  break  forth  again  as  bitterly  as  ever. 
The  talk  wandered  from  this  to  that  subject  —  for  with 
one  accord  the  party  had  declared  it  was  too  late  to  go 
to  bed ;  but  those  two  never  relaxed  towards  each  other ; 
Goneril  and  Regan  in  a  sisterly  tiff  were  not  more  bent 
on  enmity. 

It  chanced  that  Elvira  was  so  much  tired  by  all  the 
little  excitements  of  the  night,  that  for  once  she  laid 
aside  her  company  manners,  which  were  both  easy  and 
correct,  and  in  the  most  natural  manner  in  the  world 
leaned  her  head  on  Leon's  shoulder.  At  the  same  time, 
fatigue  suggesting  tenderness,  she  locked  the  fingers  of 
her  right  hand  into  those  of  her  husband's  left;  and,  half- 
closing  her  eyes,  dozed  off  into  a  golden  borderland  be- 
tween sleep  and  waking.  But  all  the  time  she  was  not 
unaware  of  what  was  passing,  and  saw  the  painter's  wife 
studying  her  with  looks  between  contempt  and  envy. 

It  occurred  to  Leon  that  his  constitution  demanded 
the  use  of  some  tobacco;  and  he  undid  his  fingers  from 
Elvira's  in  order  to  roll  a  cigarette.  It  was  gently  done, 
and  he  took  care  that  his  indulgence  should  in  no  other 
way  disturb  his  wife's  position.  But  it  seemed  to  catch 
the  eye  of  the  painter's  wife  with  a  special  significancy. 
She  looked  straight  before  her  for  an  instant,  and  then, 
with  a  swift  and  stealthy  movement,  took  hold  of  her 
husband's  hand  below  the  table.  Alas!  she  might  have 
spared  herself  the  dexterity.    For  the  poor  fellow  was  so 

380 


PROVIDENCE  AND   THE   GUITAR 

overcome  by  this  caress  that  he  stopped  with  his  mouth 
open  in  the  middle  of  a  word,  and  by  the  expression  of 
his  face  plainly  declared  to  all  the  company  that  his 
thoughts  had  been  diverted  into  softer  channels. 

If  it  had  not  been  rather  amiable,  it  would  have  been 
absurdly  droll.  His  wife  at  once  withdrew  her  touch ; 
but  it  was  plain  she  had  to  exert  some  force.  There- 
upon the  young  man  coloured  and  looked  for  a  moment 
beautiful. 

Leon  and  Elvira  both  observed  the  by-play,  and  a  shock 
passed  from  one  to  the  other ;  for  they  were  inveterate 
match-makers,  especially  between  those  who  were  al- 
ready married. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Leon,  suddenly.  "I  see 
no  use  in  pretending.  Before  we  came  in  here  we  heard 
sounds  indicating  —  if  I  may  so  express  myself — an  im- 
perfect harmony." 

"Sir "  began  the  man. 

But  the  woman  was  beforehand. 

"It  is  quite  true,"  she  said.  "I  see  no  cause  to  be 
ashamed.  If  my  husband  is  mad  I  shall  at  least  do  my 
utmost  to  prevent  the  consequences.  Picture  to  your- 
self, Monsieur  and  Madame,"  she  went  on,  for  she  passed 
Stubbs  over,  "that  this  wretched  person  —  a  dauber,  an 
incompetent,  not  fit  to  be  a  sign-painter  —  receives  this 
morning  an  admirable  offer  from  an  uncle  —  an  uncle  of 
my  own,  my  mother's  brother,  and  tenderly  beloved  — 
of  a  clerkship  with  nearly  a  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  a 
year,  and  that  he  —  picture  to  yourself !  —  he  refused  it ! 
Why  ?  For  the  sake  of  Art,  he  says.  Look  at  his  art, 
I  say  —  look  at  it !  Is  it  fit  to  be  seen  ?  Ask  him  —  is  it 
fit  to  be  sold  ?    And  it  is  for  this,  Monsieur  and  Madame, 

381 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

that  he  condemns  me  to  the  most  deplorable  existence, 
without  luxuries,  without  comforts,  in  a  vile  suburb  of 
a  country  town.  O  non!  "  she  cried,  "  non — je  ne  me 
tairai  pas  —  c'est  plus  fort  que  moi !  I  take  these  gentle- 
men and  this  lady  for  judges  —  is  this  kind?  is  it  de- 
cent ?  is  it  manly  ?  Do  I  not  deserve  better  at  his  hands 
after  having  married  him  and" — (a  visible  hitch)  — 
"done  everything  in  the  world  to  please  him  ?" 

I  doubt  if  there  were  ever  a  more  embarrassed  com- 
pany at  a  table;  everyone  looked  like  a  fool;  and  the 
husband  like  the  biggest. 

"  The  art  of  Monsieur,  however,"  said  Elvira,  break- 
ing the  silence,  "  is  not  wanting  in  distinction." 

"  It  has  this  distinction,"  said  the  wife,  "that  nobody 
will  buy  it." 

"I  should  have  supposed  a  clerkship "  began 

Stubbs. 

"Art  is  Art,"  swept  in  Leon.  "  I  salute  Art.  It  is  the 
beautiful,  the  divine ;  it  is  the  spirit  of  the  world,  and  the 
pride  of  life.     But "  And  the  actor  paused. 

"A  clerkship "  began  Stubbs. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is,"  said  the  painter.  "  I  am  an 
artist,  and  as  this  gentleman  says,  Art  is  this  and  the 
other ;  but  of  course,  if  my  wife  is  going  to  make  my  life 
a  piece  of  perdition  all  day  long,  I  prefer  to  go  and  drown 
myself  out  of  hand." 

"Go! "  said  his  wife.     "I  should  like  to  see  you!" 

"  I  was  going  to  say,"  resumed  Stubbs,  "  that  a  fellow 
may  be  a  clerk  and  paint  almost  as  much  as  he  likes. 
I  know  a  fellow  in  a  bank  who  makes  capital  water- 
colour  sketches;  he  even  sold  one  for  seven-and-six." 

To  both  the  women  this  seemed  a  plank  of  safety; 
382 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR 

each  hopefully  interrogated  the  countenance  of  her  lord ; 
even  Elvira,  an  artist  herself!  —  but  indeed  there  must 
be  something  permanently  mercantile  in  the  female 
nature.  The  two  men  exchanged  a  glance  ;  it  was 
tragic ;  not  otherwise  might  two  philosophers  salute,  as 
at  the  end  of  a  laborious  life  each  recognised  that  he  was 
still  a  mystery  to  his  disciples. 

Leon  arose. 

''Art  is  Art,"  he  repeated,  sadly.  "It  is  not  water- 
colour  sketches,  nor  practising  on  a  piano.  It  is  a  life 
to  be  lived." 

"And  in  the  meantime  people  starve! "  observed  the 
woman  of  the  house.  "If  that's  a  life,  it  is  not  one 
for  me. " 

"I'll  tell  you  what, "  burst  forth  Leon ;  ' '  you,  Madame, 
go  into  another  room  and  talk  it  over  with  my  wife; 
and  I'll  stay  here  and  talk  it  over  with  your  husband. 
It  may  come  to  nothing,  but  let's  try." 

"  I  am  very  willing,"  replied  the  young  woman;  and 
she  proceeded  to  light  a  candle.  "This  way,  if  you 
please."     And  she  led  Elvira  upstairs  into  a  bedroom. 

"The  fact  is,"  said  she,  sitting  down,  "that  my  hus- 
band cannot  paint." 

"No  more  can  mine  act,"  replied  Elvira. 

"I  should  have  thought  he  could,"  returned  the  other; 
"he  seems  clever." 

"  He  is  so,  and  the  best  of  men  besides,"  said  Elvira; 
"but  he  cannot  act." 

"At  least  he  is  not  a  sheer  humbug  like  mine;  he  can 
at  least  sing." 

"You  mistake  Leon,"  returned  his  wife,  warmly. 
"He  does  not  even  pretend  to  sing;  he  has  too  fine  a 

383 


NEW   ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

taste ;  he  does  so  for  a  living.  And,  believe  me,  neither 
of  the  men  are  humbugs.  They  are  people  with  a  mission 
—  which  they  cannot  carry  out." 

"  Humbug  or  not,"  replied  the  other,  "you  came  very 
near  passing  the  night  in  the  fields;  and,  for  my  part, 
I  live  in  terror  of  starvation.  I  should  think  it  was  a 
man's  mission  to  think  twice  about  his  wife.  But  it 
appears  not.  Nothing  is  their  mission  but  to  play  the 
fool.  Oh !  "  she  broke  out,  "  is  it  not  something  dreary 
to  think  of  that  man  of  mine  ?  If  he  could  only  do  it, 
who  would  care  ?  But  no  —  not  he  —  no  more  than 
lean!" 

"  Have  you  any  children  ?"  asked  Elvira. 

"No;  but  then  I  may." 

"Children  change  so  much,"  said  Elvira,  with  a  sigh. 

And  just  then  from  the  room  below  there  flew  up  a 
sudden  snapping  chord  on  the  guitar;  one  followed  after 
another;  then  the  voice  of  Leon  joined  in;  and  there 
was  an  air  being  played  and  sung  that  stopped  the 
speech  of  the  two  women.  The  wife  of  the  painter 
stood  like  a  person  transfixed;  Elvira,  looking  into  her 
eyes,  could  see  all  manner  of  beautiful  memories  and 
kind  thoughts  that  were  passing  in  and  out  of  her  soul 
with  every  note;  it  was  a  piece  of  her  youth  that  went 
before  her;  a  green  French  plain,  the  smell  of  apple- 
flowers,  the  far  and  shining  ringlets  of  a  river,  and  the 
words  and  presence  of  love. 

"Leon  has  hit  the  nail,"  thought  Elvira  to  herself,  "I 
wonder  how." 

The  how  was  plain  enough.  Leon  had  asked  the 
painter  if  there  were  no  air  connected  with  courtship 
and  pleasant  times;  and  having  learned  what  he  wished, 

384 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  GUITAR 

and  allowed  an  interval  to  pass,  he  had  soared  forth 
into 

O  mon  amante, 

O  mon  desir, 

Sachons  cueillir 
L'heure  charmante! 


"  Pardon  me,  Madame,"  said  the  painter's  wife,  "your 
husband  sings  admirably  well." 

"He  sings  that  with  some  feeling,"  replied  Elvira, 
critically,  although  she  was  a  little  moved  herself,  for  the 
song  cut  both  ways  in  the  upper  chamber;  "but  it  is  as 
an  actor  and  not  as  a  musician." 

"  Life  is  very  sad,"  said  the  other;  "  it  so  wastes  away 
under  one's  fingers." 

"  I  have  not  found  it  so,"  replied  Elvira.  "I  think  the 
good  parts  of  it  last  and  grow  greater  every  day." 

" Frankly,  how  would  you  advise  me?" 

"Frankly,  I  would  let  my  husband  do  what  he  wished. 
He  is  obviously  a  very  loving  painter;  you  have  not  yet 
tried  him  as  a  clerk.  And  you  know  —  if  it  were  only 
as  the  possible  father  of  your  children  —  it  is  as  well  to 
keep  him  at  his  best." 

11  He  is  an  excellent  fellow,"  said  the  wife. 

They  kept  it  up  till  sunrise  with  music  and  all  man- 
ner of  good-fellowship ;  and  at  sunrise,  while  the  sky 
was  still  temperate  and  clear,  they  separated  on  the 
threshold  with  a  thousand  excellent  wishes  for  each 
other's  welfare.  Castel-le-Gachis  was  beginning  to  send 
up  its  smoke  against  the  golden  East;  and  the  church 
bell  was  ringing  six. 

385 


NEW  ARABIAN   NIGHTS 

"  My  guitar  is  a  familiar  spirit,"  said  Leon,  as  he  and 
Elvira  took  the  nearest  way  toward  the  inn;  "it  resus- 
citated a  Commissary,  created  an  English  tourist,  and 
reconciled  a  man  and  wife." 

Stubbs,  on  his  part,  went  off  into  the  morning  with 
reflections  of  his  own. 

"They  are  all  mad,"  thought  he,  "all  mad  —  but 
wonderfully  decent." 


386 


v.i 


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